Bleak Twilight
by Blaster482
Summary: Many years before the events of the first game, numerous battles tested whether or not the city would survive against the onslaught of various foes. This is the story of how a solitary hunter came to stand against hordes of fallen as they attempted to destroy the last safe haven of humanity.
1. Prologue

Sights and sounds flashed by at a pace so rapid they blended together in a terrifying concoction of chaos. Through the fog of war, a single warrior strolled forward. The man was unfazed as the scorching rounds of a shrapnel launcher zipped past, inches away from his helmet. The warrior's armor was by no means the flashiest on the battlefield and provided only the bare minimum of protection. His cowboy-like pants were relatively basic, aside from the silver-lined bandolier around his waist. The hues of his outfit were primarily blue with violet, though touches of green ran throughout. Bones of a young Ahamkara lined his arms, and stray feathers dotted the top of his hooded cloak. Although unnecessary, the man enjoyed wearing a dark bandana over his helmet. Perhaps it was simply to mask an insecurity, but nonetheless added to his silent intimidation.

Peering out his visor, the man's gaze fell upon his only concern. Through the unfolding battle, a colossal, four-armed monstrosity rose above the carnage: the Kell of Kings. The enlarged eliksni crushed city frames beneath his legs as he pushed forward. Hordes of fallen wearing various house banners swept past him to stifle humanity's advance, and many set their sights on a single, lonely hunter.

The guardian was not presently armed with any form of weapon, and soon came under fire from a dozen vandals. Bolts of energy rippled through the air as they flew to their intended target. Crack! It was as if the world had been split. The hunter was gone, and the vandals lowered their weapons in disbelief. A moment later, another violent sound pierced the air. The hunter had reappeared behind his enemies, a violet mist accompanying him. The shadowy fog expanded and erupted unsteadily, staggering the fallen as their mortal enemy sprinted to their ruler. Additional fallen rallied to their kell, blocking the hunter's path. Then, though the guardian knew not what was spoken, the kell's words caused his warriors to clear a path for his challenger.

There they stood, motionless as armies around them fought a vicious battle for a floating orb in the sky. The hunter was thankful for his helmet as various emotions flooded his muscles. His fists were tightly clenched as he recalled the past few days. He watched as the kell revealed four large, scimitar-like shock blades. The creature pointed a blade to him, daring for his retaliation. Instead of leaping to his certain demise, the hunter simply cocked his head. The fingers of his hands were splayed out, ready to receive wondrous gifts. In an instant, void energy began to emanate from the hunter's body, creating a pair of glowing, serrated swords. The energized weapons fell into his hands, and he held them out to his sides as he continued to stare down the beast before him. "Kell of House Kings!" the hunter shouted as he spun his weapons around. "Today, I bloody myself with your entrails!"


	2. Chapter 1: The Confrontation

_Sometime Earlier…_

Civilians in the restaurant couldn't help but stare at the guardian as he sat in a secluded corner, guzzling a rare beverage known as Nighthawk. The guardian was on his sixth bottle, with five empty ones sprawled out across the table.

"You really must stop with this drinking," a high-pitched, robotic voice spoke up.

The guardian titled his back to a small, floating machine. "Polaris, relax. I've downed more than this before."

"And you ended up puking to such an extent that our ship had to be professionally cleaned," the robotic being added. Small, metallic components on the machine rotated in a counter-clockwise pattern. It was one of the few ways a ghost could communicate expressions.

The guardian stared at his ghost for a moment more before finally conceding. "Fine," the man sighed as he set his half-drunk bottle of Nighthawk on the table. He then reached for his helmet and brought it down upon his head. A swift movement of his hands brought his hood over the helmet, and the last to come up was his bandana. The hunter rose from his position at the table and proceeded to the exit of the restaurant. The facility was located in the southern portion of the city, and few guardians were known to venture into this particular region.

"Might I ask why you always return to that restaurant?" Polaris abruptly asked as the pair journeyed down an adjacent alleyway.

The hunter lifted his head to the ghost. He remained silent as he stared at the floating ball. He couldn't bring himself to utter the words he longed to speak. "It's because of her," he eventually stated in a hushed tone.

"Saris?" the ghost inquired.

The hunter instantaneously turned to continue down the alleyway. His footspeed increased, as if it would somehow console his mind.

"Should I have not said her name?" Polaris questioned as he chased after his guardian.

The hunter stopped. "Polaris, just quit talking," he growled, his gaze falling to the ground. To his pleasant surprise, no response came. He sighed with relief, believing he had actually forced his ghost to silence. Then, a robotic scream ignited his eardrums. "What did I say?!" the hunter shouted in anger as he spun around. His eyes immediately locked onto a pistol. The weapon was pointed in his direction. There was another, and another. The hunter took a step back as he analyzed the situation.

"Don't make another move, guardian," a stern voice demanded. A young man with spiked, black hair had his energy-based sidearm aimed directly at the hunter's head, with Polaris firmly gripped in his left hand. A pair of henchmen were at his sides, their weapons raised to the guardian as well.

The hunter gave the slightest of smirks beneath his helmet, and haphazardly crossed his arms. "What do you want, crook?" he asked. The cocking sound of a rifle caught his attention, and he quickly took a glance at the rooftops above. Three more men stood on the roofs of the two-story buildings, automatic rifles in hand.

"That's a simple enough question to answer," the black-haired man remarked as he stepped forward. "We want your armor and your weapons," he smirked. "It's not everyday we find a lonely guardian wandering about, and we simply must capitalize on this opportunity." The man stretched out his arm and disengaged the safety on his weapon. "I'm sure you can understand that this is nothing personal," he grinned.

The hunter lowered his arms to his sides. "Then you can understand it won't be anything personal when I paint these streets with your brains," he threatened.

The hostile men lowered their stances, ready to fire if the guardian made any additional motion. "Don't try anything," the crime boss warned. "We've got six guns on you."

The hunter stretched his fingers, ready to reach for the hand cannon at his hip. "I've won against twelve," he replied. Three bullets rang out, and screams from nearby streets erupted as civilians sought safety away from the chaos. The crime boss and his two henchmen toppled to the ground; the hunter's motions were so blazingly fast they couldn't even get a shot off. The men above were slightly more fortunate, being able to return fire on the guardian. Still, they were hopelessly outclassed. The hunter sidestepped, weaving between their bullets as he raised his crimson revolver in retaliation. He pulled the trigger twice more, causing two of the men to free-fall from the rooftops to the ground below. Before he could end his final victim, however, the criminal got off a lucky shot and knocked the hand cannon from his grip. The guardian immediately reversed his movements as he reached around to his rear. Unveiling a pristine knife, he sent the blade hurtling towards his final opponent. The weapon tore through the man's chest, and he too fell forward off the edge of the roof.

"Thank the Traveler," Polaris exclaimed with joy. "Now please, help me out of this vile man's grip." The ghost was still pinned beneath his captor's hand.

"I'm confident you can get out by yourself," the hunter replied as he retrieved his revolver.

"You're such a pain," Polaris stated as he wiggled his mechanical body out from under the man's hand.

"Let's just get out of here," the hunter said as he turned to exit the alleyway. It was at that moment his body bumped into a full suit of heavily plated armor. The impact caused him to stagger backwards.

"Quite the mess you've made, Tolcum," a powerful voice remarked. The titan, covered in silver and purple armor, was easily a head taller than his fellow guardian.

"Trouble always seems to find me," Tolcum replied simply. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Saint-14?" the hunter asked as he gave a sarcastic bow.

The mighty titan stared down at the hunter, not swayed in the slightest by his attitude. "A fellow hunter is requesting your presence at the tower."

"He'll have to wait then," Tolcum replied as he brushed past the titan. "I've got more important matters to deal with." Before he could venture any further, a hand sternly grabbed hold of his right shoulder. He winced as the crushing strength of the titan brought him to his knees.

"The meeting is being sanctioned by the Vanguard. I would advise that you not deviate from their directive," Saint-14 stated.

"Fine," Tolcum muttered through the pain he was experiencing. The hand on his shoulder released, and he fell instinctively forward to recover from the numbness in his arm. When he finally turned around, the titan was gone.

"Who's this hunter I'm supposed to speak with?" Tolcum asked his ghost as he impatiently waited in the tower plaza.

"I believe he's a rising star amongst the guardian ranks," Polaris answered enthusiastically.

"Indeed," a smooth voice stated from behind the pair.

Tolcum whipped around to see a charismatic exo standing before him. The being wore leather-based armor emblazoned with several ace symbols, as well as a black cloak which flowed steadily in the breeze behind him; but his most distinguishable feature was the blue horn that jutted out from his forehead. "Who exactly are you?" Tolcum questioned.

"Name's Cayde-6, and you?" the exo answered happily. He outstretched a hand to greet the fellow hunter with a handshake, but Tolcum remained motionless. After realizing no handshake would occur, Cayde awkwardly reeled his arm back.

"Tolcum," the other hunter eventually replied.

"Pleasure to meet, buddy," Cayde lied as he put on a plastic smile.

"What did you want to meet with me for?" Tolcum questioned as he crossed his arms in irritation.

"Well, it's about your recent behavior," Cayde admitted.

"You'll have to be more specific. I've always been a thorn in the Vanguard's side," Tolcum replied.

"Let me be frank," Cayde began to say. "You've been acting very suspicious, disappearing into remote parts of the city and chatting with guardian groups you shouldn't be," he explained.

"The Knights of Earth just happen to be a group of guardians I don't despise," Tolcum argued. "They haven't done anything to receive such ill will from the primary factions, yet you all seem to believe they're plotting something sinister."

"It's more than that!" Cayde snapped. "We know you've been delving into prohibited warlock texts; teachings of Osiris and whatnot," he explained. When Tolcum failed to respond, he continued to speak. "I have a feeling you've gotten your hands on far worse books than those of deranged warlocks."

Tolcum stared at the exo, shocked by how much the Vanguard knew. "We all have our interests in life," he eventually replied. "Mine happens to be with the void."

"It's no interest with you, it's an obsession," Cayde argued. "Don't get me wrong, I like power, but you're after abilities that aren't yours to wield."

It was at this moment Tolcum began to slowly step away from the accusatory hunter. "If I'm not meant to wield the powers I'm after, I'll simply fail," he stated.

"Where are you going?" Cayde questioned as he watched the reckless hunter step to the railing of the plaza.

Tolcum paid no attention to Cayde's question. "However, if I succeed, I'll be the most powerful Guardian to ever live." With that, he leaped over the railing. Cayde sprinted to edge of the plaza to witness Tolcum's fate when a sudden surge of wind rose from the space beyond the railing, knocking him back. A pale phaeton class ship wearing a symbol belonging to the Knights of Earth rose high above the plaza, with Tolcum standing triumphantly upon it. "If you'll excuse me, Cayde, I have a very important task I must tend to." With that, his body disappeared from the ship's exterior.

"You're welcome," Polaris greeted as his guardian approached the ship's controls.

"For once, nice job," Tolcum complimented as he took hold of the ship's controls. He quickly turned it around, and primed the thrusters. A moment later, they were rocketing higher and higher through the atmosphere.

"Troposphere cleared… stratosphere cleared…" Polaris began to list off as they continued up. Once they exited the exosphere, they were finally clear of Earth.

"Polaris, prep the NLS drive," Tolcum ordered and he reviewed the ship's systems.

"Of course, sir," Polaris replied. "May I ask, though, where we're headed exactly?"

"Mars," Tolcum answered.


	3. Chapter 2: Road Trip unto Stars

An explosion shook Tolcum from his seat. "Polaris, what happened?!"

"One of the engines overheated," the ghost responded frantically. "I'm not sure what to do."

"Get Dogma 99-40 online. This is what he's for," Tolcum instructed angrily.

The ship had a relatively cramped interior. The cockpit contained room for three people, though there was only a seat for the pilot. A small doorway led to the confined cabin, where a small bed was built into the rear. The only other noticeable feature was a frame charging station on the left wall, which contained Dogma 99-40. Polaris quickly deactivated the charging station, which brought the brown-colored frame online.

"How may I be of service?" Dogma asked in its muffled, robotic voice. Tolcum had bought the machine in used condition from a rather curious farmer a few years back. The seller appeared to have several screws loose in his head, and informed Tolcum of how he'd accidently beaten Dogma over the head with a rake, causing permanent damage to the machine's vocal processor.

"Save me the pleasantries and fix the darned engine!" Tolcum snapped. As he rose from his seat to enter the cabin, he caught his right foot beneath his chair and stumbled forward, faceplanting on the surface of the cockpit. The hunter rubbed his pounding head as he pushed himself up off the ground. It was then that Polaris called out to him from the back.

"We found the problem!" the ghost stated exuberantly.

"What was it?" Tolcum questioned as he entered the main cabin.

"A bottle of Nighthawk," Polaris answered, his floating components wiggling in an accusatory manner.

"Is the bottle broken?" Tolcum followed up.

"No," his ghost replied, regretting how honest he was.

"Then hand it over," the hunter demanded.

"Sir, we're about to enter a firebase. I cannot say I'd recommend downing anymore of this vile substance," Polaris spoke up.

Tolcum shook his head as if ready to plea the fifth. "I'm not gonna use it now. It'll be a celebratory drink once we've wrapped this mission up." He glanced over to see where the bottle was, only to find that Dogma was awkwardly shaking it up and down. "Dogma, drop it."

The machine obeyed orders instantly, and dropped the fragile bottle onto the ground. It shattered on contact.

"You did tell him to drop it," Polaris laughed. He then flew back into the cockpit for their resumed journey.

Tolcum wanted to scream, but convinced himself it was more appropriate to return to his seat. He strapped himself back into the pilot's chair and check the NLS Drive. After ensuring that all systems were nominal, he readjusted their trajectory for Mars. He wanted to make it in one jump, but sometimes objects and even planets would block a warp path. Once all preparations had been made, he put the NLS Drive on full throttle, and they were soon travelling beyond the speed of light. Guardian ships were designed to keep their passengers alive during such strenuous speeds, but Tolcum nevertheless felt an enormous amount of pressure on his chest. The jump lasted for only a few minutes, and the guardian steadily reached over to the drive's throttle in order to decrease his speed.

"We're coming up on Mars," Polaris remarked.

"I can see that," Tolcum violently exhaled as he throttled down on the drive. Gradually, the warping lights around the ship slowed to reveal solid objects. A minute later, the drive was off. It was then that Tolcum nearly lost his hearing.

"Phobos!" Polaris shouted.

The hunter grabbed hold of the vehicle's steering and spun to the left, barely avoiding the moon's surface. "That wasn't supposed to be there," he commented with a sigh of relief.

"Perhaps your ship's maps need to be updated," Polaris suggested.

"You might be right. It should be smooth sailing from here on in, though," Tolcum replied with confidence as he sped the vehicle up to 25,000 mph.

"What about the cabal blockade?" his ghost asked hesitantly. Even from thousands of miles away, the hundreds of cabal vessels were visible.

"Don't worry, I know how to weave my way through that blockade," Tolcum stated as he continued to accelerate their ship.

"How? Do you have Martian Navacore?" Polaris questioned.

"Nope, even better: my brain. I've got this hemisphere's cabal fleet all mapped out in my head," the hunter replied.

"Why am I not convinced?" Polaris asked rhetorically as their ship rocketed forward. "Closing on the atmosphere in 10…"

An explosion went off, almost ripping Tolcum out of his seat. He heard a whine from Dogma as their ship convulsed and shut down. "What was that?"

"I believe we hit an EMP," Polaris hypothesized. "I thought you said you had this region mapped out."

"They must've made some changes to the array since my last trip here," Tolcum stated as he rubbed his head. "See if you can get the backup generator online." When he heard no response, he turned his gaze to the floating machine. Polaris was staring out at something in the distance.

"We've got company," Polaris stated as his components began to spin erratically.

Tolcum looked out the ship's cockpit and saw the problem. A massive cabal vessel was closing in on them; it's multitude of gun emplacements warming up. "It's a warship." In the seconds of time he sat staring at the enemy ship, Polaris had returned power to their vessel.

"Let's get out of here!" Polaris hastily recommended.

Tolcum was about to agree, when his eyes caught sight of another ship. It was a regulus class fighter from the city, and it was targeting the cabal warship. "Actually, I've got a better idea," he smirked as he activated the vehicle's engines.

"I have a bad feeling about this!" Polaris cried out as their ship rocketed towards the cabal war machine. The enemy's weapons were already firing upon the regulus class ship, and were caught off guard by Tolcum's approach.

"Polaris, cut the engines when I tell you to," the hunter ordered as he flew down the center of the cabal warship. Guns redirected to fire on them, but they were accelerating too rapidly. A lucky shell landed a hit, but bounced harmlessly off their shields. They were swiftly approaching the rear of the warship. "Now!" Tolcum shouted as he twisted the vehicle to point down. His ghost completed his task with perfected timing. Tolcum was now happily staring down at the enemy's engines. "Prep the missiles and reactivate our boosters," the hunter instructed as he firmly gripped the ship's controls.

"Done," Polaris replied before returning to the cockpit.

"Hold on," Tolcum laughed as he sent the ship forward. The cabal had turrets placed upon their warship's rear, but still they were helplessly outclassed by the guardian vessel's speed. The hunter was soon over a set of the cabal warship's engines, and fired. Rocket after successive rocket slammed into the engines, causing scrapped chunks of metal to float off into the abyss of space. After affirming that the warship would be unable to pursue, Tolcum veered off towards Mars.

"Other ships will be on their way," Polaris pointed out.

"And those are ships that won't be blocking our way to the surface," Tolcum smiled as they entered the planet's thin atmosphere. It was then that a familiar regulus class vessel appeared ahead of them, its trajectory parallel to their own.

"What did that guardian think they were doing?" Polaris criticized as he stared out at the other ship. "Don't they realize how dangerous it is to attack an enemy vessel of that size?"

"They took the same risk we did," Tolcum pointed out.

"But we've had plenty of experience doing stupid things," Polaris argued.

Tolcum let out a light chuckle. "Fair point, but they're also our partners for this mission."

"What?!" Polaris questioned. Within minutes, the two ships were landed together on a plateau overlooking the ruined city of Freehold.

Tolcum unstrapped himself from his seat and entered the cabin. "Dogma, hold down the fort until we return." The robot nodded its mechanical head in understanding as Tolcum and Polaris transmatted to the ship's exterior. After seeing that his partner hadn't exited from the regulus ship yet, Tolcum turned his gaze to the city beyond.

"I can only imagine what Freehold must've looked like once," Polaris remarked.

"It was beautiful," Tolcum stated, his voice shaky. "I remember taking a trip here with my friends. I remember exiting our ship and seeing thousands upon thousands of bright lights. I remember seeing the countless people that filled the streets. I remember believing in my past life that anything was possible, thanks to the Traveler." His hands were clenched, almost to the point of drawing blood. "I remember laughing with my pals, kissing the girl I loved, and having the greatest moments of my life. Then, in one swift strike, everything collapsed," he stated. Polaris could hear him fighting back tears. "I heard sirens, and was woken from my sleep. I rose to find strange vessels bombarding the city. The sky was stormy, a dimly lit sun behind the blood-red clouds. We ran, our eyes transfixed on the rockets that were hurtling to greet us. The city collapsed around me, and I watched as those I cared about plummeted to their demise. Then I felt the platform beneath me buckle, and that was it," he explained.

"I'm sorry," Polaris said apologetically. "I did not mean to open old wounds."

"Forget it," Tolcum replied, his rage-induced soul returning to him. "What happened in the past can't be changed, anyways." A sudden voice from behind the pair caused them to jump.

"Is your emotional moment over yet?" a female voice asked sarcastically.

"You're here to work, not poke fun at me, Iris," Tolcum stated as he turned violently towards the woman. She was a warlock, wearing a maroon outfit complimented by the shining Apotheosis Veil helmet.

"Whatever you say," the warlock replied. She then removed a pulse rifle form her back and cocked it. "Just let me know when you're ready to get this adventure started."


	4. Chapter 3: Incursion of Rubicon

Mars isn't known for its cover, and that fact added an additional hour of travel time to Tolcum's trip. Iris followed closely behind, constantly scanning the surroundings for life signs. They were undetected.

During their journey, Polaris made the decision to ask a rather important question. "Tolcum, are you ever going to fill me in on what we're doing here?"

"Eventually," the hunter replied simply.

"You haven't explained anything to me either," Iris pointed out.

"How did the two of you meet anyways?" Polaris asked the woman.

The warlock turned her gaze to the ghost. "We met through a shared friend. Tolcum said he could use some help on a self-appointed quest, and I volunteered."

It was then that the group came upon their quarry. "Everyone, shut it. We're here," Tolcum hissed as he gestured to Firebase Rubicon below. They stood upon a cliff which overlooked the entirety of the facility.

"That is a lot of space turtles," Polaris commented as he stared down at the garrison. Hundreds of legionaries were marching in an array through the base. Rows of phalanxes parted for them as they went, and off to the far right were several unoccupied interceptors.

"Please tell me we're here to do more than kill cabal," Iris begged.

"Don't worry, we are," Tolcum replied. He then pointed to a cache of fuel canisters. "That is what we're after."

"Fuel?" Iris questioned. "This is starting to get weird."

"I'll explain it all in time. For now, you just need to follow my instructions," Tolcum stated as he crouched down to avoid being spotted. "What I need from you, Iris, is relatively simple." He then moved his finger to mark a peculiar tower that jutted up from the base. It didn't appear to be a transmitter, nor was it a shield generator.

"What is that?" Iris asked. Her scanners had failed to identify the object.

"What it is isn't important. What is important is that you destroy it. Then I can do what I do best," Tolcum answered as he stepped away from the ledge.

"What exactly do you do best?" Iris continued to question. Her curiosity was now peaked.

"You'll find out once you break that device. Now go!" Tolcum snapped. His voice practically knocked the woman off the cliff.

Iris quickly recovered from the man's tone, then looked out once more to the firebase below. _That's still a lot of cabal._ She took a deep breath, then stepped forward. Her right foot slammed into the ground, propelling her over the edge of the cliff. She spread her arms to increase her surface area, and gracefully continued her descent. Just before crashing into the metal flooring of the base, she twisted her body to the upright position, and glided the remainder of the way down.

"You don't think she'll die, do you?" Polaris asked. He was aware of the high concentration of cabal around the warlock, and even a guardian could be felled when swarmed by hundreds of enemies.

Tolcum simply smirked beneath his helmet. "I would hope not."

Iris weaved her way between the numerous stacks of supply crates, stealthily making her way to the strange device at the other end of the base. She was between two large crates, ready to proceed onward when the ground she stood upon began to shake. She was all too familiar with the feeling, and retreated into the shadows as an intimidating presence revealed itself. A colossus trudged past her, a heavy slug thrower within its grasp. The being easily weighed over 1,000 pounds, and would prove challenging even for the most seasoned of guardians. Iris wisely chose to let it pass before continuing on her way. Once it had, she stepped into the light of day and sprinted across the open area, praying that no one would spot her. She was close to her target, very close. The device was only a few paces away when she heard the terrifying roar of monsters behind her. _It's about to get loud._ Bullets erupted from cabal slug rifles as they opened fire on the intruder. Phalanxes stepped into Iris's path, shields out in front of their bodies. Still, the woman continued onward. Bullets ignited the space around her as she leaped into the air, landing on top of a phalanx shield. Her pulse rifle was now on her back, with a void-based sword in her hands providing a sufficient replacement. She raised the blade as she leaped towards the device beyond the phalanxes. When the warlock was in range, she swung with all the effort she could muster. Her blade split the tower in half with ease, and she rolled to her feet upon contacting the metal surface of the base.

"She did it!" Polaris exclaimed.

"Indeed," Tolcum agreed with a horrific smile. A noise similar to that of liquid violently sloshing about emitted from the hunter as void energy began to envelop his body.

Polaris slowly backed away from his guardian. "I think I'll watch this unfold from back here." He then took cover behind a nearby rock.

Tolcum paid his ghost no attention as his veins pulsed with purple liquid. Void energy solidified to a levitating fluid that swarmed around the hunter. Tolcum then rotated his wrists, willing the energy to them. The power moved to his hands, and slowly formed the traditional bow of a nightstalker. However, something much darker began to occur. The bow grew to three times its regular size, with five arrows embedded in its string. Tolcum pointed the weapon to the sky and pulled back on the string. Before releasing, his voice roared at an incomprehensible volume. "Iris, run!" he shouted. Then, he let the string loose. Five mighty arrows launched into the heavens above, leaving the garrison of cabal dumbfounded. Tolcum looked down at the creatures, and took note of their bodily behavior. _They must think me an idiot._ After reaching a thousand feet in height, the arrows split in a brilliant display of light. At that point, two dozen arrows illuminated with the colors of black and violet began to free fall to Firebase Rubicon. They accelerated faster than even the force of gravity would allow, and for a brief moment everything was silent. Then, two dozen explosions ignited the entire facility. Tolcum breathed in the comforting noises of helpless cabal crying out in pain. Pounds of smoke filled the firebase, and Polaris nervously approached his guardian to behold the destruction.

"Can't say I've seen you do that before," Polaris commented, his voice filled with fear.

"Consider it something new I've learned," Tolcum stated, his arms crossed in a twisted sort of satisfaction. When the smoke finally cleared, a sea of corpses filled his vision. Nearly the entire base was consumed with violet flames, and sparks of shadowy energy radiated off the ignition sites. Tolcum lifted his head to find Iris on the opposite cliffside, parallel to his position. The only region untouched by his shadowshot was that which held his quarry. The hunter tilted his head to Polaris and instructed him to ready the supplies for transmat. When he returned his gaze to find Iris, she was gone.

"What was that?" an angry voice asked from behind.

Tolcum whipped around to see a concerned warlock glaring at him from beneath her helmet. "That was my true power unveiled," he replied plainly.

"I've never seen a guardian with powers like that," Iris remarked, her voice weak with shock.

"Well, there's no guardian quite like me," Tolcum stated with a smile before turning to Polaris. "When they're ready, transmat them to my designated coordinates," he told the ghost.

"It's more than that," Iris abruptly said. "There was something else within the void you used." She stepped closer to the hunter. "There was another energy, like some sort of negative Light."

"You're not thinking straight," Tolcum stated.

"Tolcum, don't try and deceive me!" Iris retorted. "You were attempting to wield the Darkness."


	5. Chapter 4: Deceit of a Hunter

"How is this even possible?" Iris asked, her eyes transfixed on the hunter that stood before her.

"The crates have been successfully transmatted," Polaris cheerfully interrupted as he returned to his owner.

"None of this makes sense!" Iris shouted, her mind jumping from one conclusion to another. "Polaris, did you know of this?"

The ghost looked to Tolcum for a brief moment to mull over her response, then returned his gaze to the warlock. "Perhaps."

"This isn't right. We're protectors of the Light, meant to destroy the Darkness. Yet here you stand, acting as if it's something for you to control!" Iris accused. "I have a feeling those supplies you were after aren't for anything good, either."

Tolcum shook his head in disgust. "You've got it all wrong."

"So, you mean to tell me you weren't utilizing dark abilities earlier?" Iris questioned.

The hunter paused, realizing his predicament would be more difficult to escape than he had initially thought. "Okay, you've got most of it wrong."

"Does the Vanguard know of this?" the warlock continued to question.

"No, and they never will," Tolcum stated. He then noticed the warlock methodically stepping away from him.

"This is something you can't keep from them," Iris replied. Her hand was on the hilt of her sword, ready to raise the blade.

Before the warlock could make a move, a tether empowered by the very Light she'd once cared so much for struck her in the foot, pinning her to the ground. She raised her sword, only to have it knocked aside by Tolcum's arm. Before Iris could retaliate further, Tolcum swiftly wrapped his fingers in a tight hold around her throat. "I can't have you telling them. Not yet, at least," he said to the woman with bright, liquid-like violet energy swarming around his hands. Tolcum took note of Iris's fear. "Relax, I'm not going to kill you; though, I won't pretend that this won't hurt." After making his final statement to her, he slammed his free hand into the warlock's helmet. Void energy consumed the woman, touching ever part of her suit and temporarily paralyzing her.

"Was all of that really necessary?" Polaris asked. He looked sympathetically to the now unconscious guardian lying upon the ground.

"No, but it put her out," Tolcum replied, admiring his work. He patted his hands together for a job well-done, then turned to his floating partner. "Now, how about we go check on those resources?"

Demons and fog were the only objects in sight. The Darkness had inherent properties that could never be stomped out, no matter how hard one tried to control it. Iris was feeling the aftereffects of Tolcum's energy as her mind spiraled into a bleak abyss. Within the abyss, a sudden clearing offered her a fleeting chance of hope. She ran to it with all her might, but her feet seemed to drag along the ground. Screams muffled by the frothing of blood within mouths tracked her, intent on consuming her eardrums. As she drew closer to the clearing, she realized there was no true escape. Over the hill trudged a four-armed fallen captain, coated in a dripping, black liquid. The beast roared a horrifying chant, and soon hundreds of its kind flooded the space behind it.

"Iris!" a metallic voice screamed.

The warlock lifted her head to the sky and saw the dark clouds lifting. Still, the voice called her name. The shadows faded, and the woman quickly came to the conclusion that she was dreaming. Slowly, she shook her head free of the demonic imagery, intent on waking from her nightmare. Her eyelids unraveled to reveal the sun shining overhead. She was lying flat on her back.

"Iris, you're alright," the warlock's ghost cheered.

"As far as I can tell, Zoira," Iris replied as she sat up. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the pain that had been inflicted during her fall. It was easy to notice how neither Tolcum or Polaris were present. "Where'd they go?"

"We mustn't worry about those two given your current condition," Zoira stated to her guardian.

"Zoira, I'm fine," Iris growled, reaching for her sword. The woman then rose to her full height. "The only matter of importance is finding Tolcum."

"I have no idea where they went," the ghost explained. "Even if I did, you're in no condition to fight."

Iris glared at the ghost, her blood boiling. Sparks ignited through the space between them, and electrons swarmed the woman's hands in mass, creating unstable bolts of electricity that flowed across her wrists. "Don't tell me my condition!" Iris shouted. Her vision slowly moved from the now frightened ghost to where Tolcum's targeted supplies once sat. "Can you track the transmat signature?" she abruptly asked Zoira.

"Possibly," Zoira said with hesitation.

"Then do it," Iris ordered. The ghost moved away from her to complete her task while the woman took in her surroundings. Three cabal harvesters that stood as the primary dropship for their species were headed to the ruins of Rubicon. Iris hoped Zoira would make her scan quick.

"Got it," Zoira stated as she returned. "I've already uploaded the exit coordinates to your HUD."

"Excellent," Iris beamed. "Now, let's get moving." The warlock then leaped into the air, watching anxiously as the most efficient form of guardian transportation solidified beneath her. She plopped gently onto her sparrow, and a second later was flying across the barren surface of Mars.

The warlock's journey took nearly two hours. Tolcum didn't want to make it easy for her, and his trail led to the remains of an abandoned, underground stronghold. The aesthetics of the facility were most certainly cabal, but even by their standards it was ancient. Iris continued the rest of her journey on foot, afraid of what she might find within the hidden complex. The initial chamber was pitch black, forcing Zoira to provide her guardian with light. The massive doors to the inner sanctum were nearly shut, only allowing enough space for Iris to narrowly squeeze through. Inside, dimly lit lights lined the corridors.

"What are you going to do when we find them?" Zoira asked.

"I don't know," Iris replied, her gaze never falling to the mechanical being. She continued down the rubble-littered halls, intent on finding her former ally. A new set of doors blocked her path, but a green pair of lights sparked to life upon the woman's approach. They slowly opened, pushing past the rust that had clung to them for ages. On the other side was everything Iris feared she see, and worse. Before her stood Tolcum, deep in conversation with a colossus. "Tolcum!" Iris shouted as she raised her pulse rifle. Her fingers were itching to pull back.

The hunter turned to the woman, surprised by her tenacity. "Hold your fire, Iris!" he demanded, reaching for his revolver.

"Don't even think about it," Iris hissed. Her rifle was already in line with the man's head. "How could you betray your own people for them?" She gestured to the hulking cabal beside Tolcum.

"First off, what have the people of the City ever done for me?!" Tolcum questioned, his eyes burning with rage. "Secondly, I didn't betray anyone."

"You're full of it, Tolcum," Iris stated. Her hand tensed, ready to fire. "You're about to be full of something else, too." She fired. The hunter sidestepped, and she fired again. Her opponent's motions were faster than her bullets, and soon he was on her. This time, Iris was ready. The warlock leaped backwards, allowing Tolcum's fists to hit empty air. Iris then unveiled her sword, now illuminated with the violet-coated powers of the void. She slid forward, contorting her body to apply a swift blow to the hunter's midsection. Tolcum stepped back, allowing the blade to graze his armor. Iris quickly retracted her sword, ready to strike again. She thrusted her sword forward, its trajectory aimed to pierce Tolcum's heart. She watched as the weapon slid toward her enemy, inches away from the man's chest. Then, the motion came to an abrupt halt.

"Nice blade," Tolcum commented. His hand was wrapped around the end of the sword, drawing blood from his palm. "Unfortunately for you, it's void-powered; and I chew that energy up like fuel." His grip suddenly tightened, causing the blade to crack. His hand was bleeding badly, but still he squeezed. As the pressure upon the sword increased, it continued to tear at the seams. Then, in one powerful display of destruction, the blade shattered. Tolcum quickly stepped towards his adversary and knocked her back with a palm strike to her chest. Void energy from the shattered sword swam to his injured hand, nurturing the wound like a mother comforting a child. Slowly, the wound mended, and Tolcum stood enveloped in the customary power of a nightstalker. "We've been down this road before. You really want a rematch?" Tolcum sneered.

"I was caught off guard last time," Iris countered, her hands coursing with sparks of blue heat. "You're about to see what a true warlock is capable of." Iris was a born stormcaller, and in an instant was coated with surging bolts of lightning. She stared coldly at the hunter, waiting for him to attack. Still, her adversary remained motionless, as if mocking her strength. She leaped forward, her rage exploding in electric discharges that overloaded and destroyed half the lights within their confined chamber. She violently struck Tolcum, who for once was unable to avoid her. Streaking bolts of lightning jumped to their target, causing hues of purple and blue to mix in a ferocious battle of light. Tolcum was sent tumbling back, but virtually unharmed by the electric shocks he'd received.

It was then that the cabal spoke. "Tolcum, should I explain?"

"No, not yet!" the hunter shouted back. "She asked for this fight, and I'll give it to her." The hunter leaned back, allowing swarms of black and violet energy to consume him. Then, he jumped towards his adversary with blinding speed. The guardians collided, causing sparks of energy to shoot off in random directions. The pair backed off, then struck again, and again. By now, the colossus was seeking cover to avoid being hit by stray bolts of energy. Still they fought, unable to break one another, until finally Iris applied all her strength into a single stream of electricity which cracked apart Tolcum's void-enclosed wall of protection. The hunter crashed to the ground of the chamber. He lifted his head to the weak, but still standing warlock.

"Had enough?" Iris asked. Her powers were drained, yet she still managed to stand triumphantly above her opponent.

"No, not really," Tolcum replied as he rose from his position on the ground. Black, smoky gases began to accumulate about his hands. His void energy was not yet depleted, and it illuminated his body as a bow formed in his hands. Iris fired upon him with her rifle, but the rounds merely bounced off his freshly energized field of protection. "It's over," Tolcum stated as he pulled back on the bow string, which currently held three black arrows. He released his grip, allowing the weapons of mass destruction to fly free. They sought out their target and shook the facility with their ignitions. Heaps of smoke filled the room as the explosions went off.

"You killed her?" Polaris asked.

"No," Tolcum answered his concerned ghost. He stepped into the shadowy fog, unfazed as haunting images consumed his vision. _The Darkness is aptly named._ He simply swatted the fog away, searching for the warlock that had tried to kill him. He found her lying on the ground. "Get up," he half-heartedly said to the woman.

"How can you live with this nightmare?" Iris suddenly asked. Her words were difficult to hear over her tears. "I've seen the effects the Darkness can have on people, what it can do to their mind. Yet here you stand, believing it to be nothing."

"You've made a bad habit of being wrong today, haven't you?" Tolcum replied as he crouched down beside the woman. "I'm all too familiar with the Darkness can do. After all, I've been dealing with it for the past year. But, believe it or not, I've had worse nightmares than those even the Darkness can conjure up." The man then took a seat beside his former partner, ready for a lengthy discussion. "We were resurrected to fight against the Darkness; we were brought back to protect what remains of our people, but we can accomplish neither task," he stated. His head was hung low. "No matter how hard we fight, humanity still remains encircled by enemies, and the Darkness always prevails," he stated. His eyes were locked intently upon Iris. "Once I was like you, filled with hope. That was, until I was taught that hope is just a stupid, human derived concept. I once worked with a full fireteam of guardians. Their names were Harver, Lorix-18, Jaren, Itheria, and Saris. We were more than friends, we were family," Tolcum explained. He gritted his teeth as he fought against his emotions. "Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to develop special feelings for one of them. Shortly after, we were ambushed by a horde of fallen on what should have been a routine scouting op." The hunter lifted his gaze to the ceiling, as if hoping to find consolation amongst its intricate patterns. "Every last one of them was killed, and I was the only one to survive. It was then that I realized the truth of our situation: we will always lose. We might hold off an assault, even take a fortress, but we will always be pushed back," he stated. "Then, I had a marvelous idea. If you can't beat the Darkness, join it." He saw the woman's startled expression through her helmet, and smirked. "I do not mean that I have turned from the Light, merely sought to control its antithesis. Now, after a great many lessons, I have seized control of the Darkness, to some extent."

"It'll consume you, whether you want it to or not. You know that, right?" Iris asked, finally lifting her head to meet the hunter's gaze.

Tolcum slowly nodded his head, despising but accepting the truth. "Yes, at the end of my journey the Darkness will consume me as it has thousands of others, but not yet."

"What of the cabal?" Iris questioned, her eyes locking onto the massive creature that was approaching. "What have you to say about him?"

"Tell me what legion he's from," Tolcum demanded. He watched the woman stare at the creature for a full minute, unable to answer his question. The cabal wore pure black armor, but not a single symbol lined his plates. "That's what I thought. You women are too willing to jump to conclusions. This is the Ala Zan, former Valus of the Blind Legion."

The cabal lumbered forward. His enormous helmet effectively hid all emotions from his guests. "You have caused a great deal of damage to my home," he growled in irritation.

"You speak English?" Iris asked as Tolcum helped her to her feet.

"After helping this hunter out, I felt I must," Zan answered.

"Those canisters we transmatted were filled with liquids Zan uses for his suit. After helping me out of a difficult situation here on Mars, I felt like I owed him," Tolcum explained.

"Now we're even," the colossus stated.

"Indeed," Tolcum nodded in agreement.

"Why did you defect? I've never heard of a cabal abandoning his post," Iris questioned the behemoth.

"After years of Primuses abusing my legion, I had had enough. In the dark of night six Martian months ago, I led a failed coup against the other legions, and was forced into exile. Now I reside here, where few dare to venture," Zan explained. "Now, if there is nothing more to be said, leave me to my solitude."

"Of course," Tolcum replied, putting a hand on Iris's shoulder. His grip was gentle, but a simple squeeze let the woman know their time had come to leave. The pair exited the facility together, though Iris was still visibly shaken by the events that had previously transpired. When they had reached the mouth of the fortress, Tolcum expected to part ways with the guardian. Instead, he heard the warlock say something else entirely.

"So, where are we headed next?" Iris asked.

"We? There's no we," Tolcum snapped. "This was a one-time job, and I have no further need for you."

"On the contrary, I believe you need me more than I need you," Iris stated as she turned to face the hunter.

"In what way?" Tolcum humored the woman, expecting her to be silent.

"The Dark energy you control may give you immense strength, but it leaves you vulnerable in other ways. For example, that device you had me destroy back at Firebase Rubicon; I'm well away that it was somehow blocking out your connection to the Darkness," Iris explained confidently.

"I was hoping you hadn't noticed that," Tolcum admitted.

The warlock stepped closer. "You've seen how useful I can be, Tolcum. Besides, you know you could use an extra gun."

The hunter arrogantly leaned back. "Why do you so desperately want to help me? Since we've met, I've knocked you unconscious and nearly killed you."

"Because just like you, I've experienced loss," Iris stated. "I know what it's like to feel alone, and I can tell it's driving you crazy. After all, you lent yourself to the Darkness."

Tolcum sighed, feeling that there was no avoiding her. "Fine," he muttered. "Fortunately for you, I've already got another task to tend to."

"What does this task entail?" Iris inquired.

"It's rather bizarre," Tolcum admitted. "Polaris picked up a distress signal outside the Last City's borders just before we exited the atmosphere," he explained.

"What's bizarre about that?" Iris asked.

"It's on a human frequency, but the voices were unmistakably not human," Tolcum stated.

"Were they by chance exo or awoken?" Iris hypothesized.

"Neither: they were fallen," Tolcum replied.


	6. Chapter 5: Old Caprica

Night was fast approaching as the sun dipped further down into the horizon. The guardians bypassed the Last City, simply choosing to fly around the location rather than hassle with authentication procedures.

Upon arriving at their destination, Iris was immediately anxious. "What is this place?" she questioned, staring out at the expansive city before her.

"You mean what was this place?" Tolcum corrected. He'd learned of the location through books published within the Last City, but had never actually journeyed to the place. Now, he was relatively impressed by the sight he gazed upon. "This city was once known as Old Caprica. It was one of the last strongholds humanity clung to, but given time it inevitably succumbed to fallen control," he explained as the pair descended a grassy hill to the city's entrance. Much of the area was in ruin, with most of the remaining buildings being overgrown with foliage. At the end of the city, backed up against the mountainside, rose a structure known as the Acropolis. It contained two large floors which were located half a mile into the sky, held up by twelve enormous pillars and a central elevator that once transported thousands of people to the skyline.

"Why would a distress signal be coming from this place?" Zoira questioned as she revealed herself to the guardians.

"That's what we're here to find out," Tolcum replied. The guardians journeyed deeper into the ruined city, taking care to avoid the gaping holes throughout caused by cannon fire. Tolcum was relatively calm during their walk past numerous skeletal remains, though the smoldering corpses of fallen caused Iris to gag. "Don't tell me you can't handle a little gore?" Tolcum laughed.

"We were trained to deal with these sights, but unlike you I don't enjoy gazing upon the lifeless bodies of former creatures," Iris retorted, pointing a judgmental finger to the man.

Suddenly, the hunter grabbed the woman's shoulder, his eyes scanning the environment. "Iris, be quiet," he whispered. A small rock gently slid off a nearby pile of rubble, tumbling like water plummeting over a waterfall until finally it crashed onto the ground. The noise sharpened Tolcum's spine as his arm slithered down to his holster.

"Get off me," Iris growled as she swatted the hunter's arm away. Sparks ignited on the tips of her fingers, and her right arm reached for her rifle. Another sound emitted from a nearby building, and the guardians immediately turned to the disturbance. The pair made out an unsteady wall of stone which precariously held the rest of a two-story structure up. A rumbling sound which from the wall kept the guardians distracted, and they watched as a stone block was slowly pushed out of its place. The block crashed against the damp road, and four glowing eyes stared out from where it had once been.

The creature's eyes then disappeared into the darkness, and terrifying howls erupted across the wrecked city. Tolcum's hand was around his revolver when the wall suddenly cracked. It tore open like a that of a cocoon, and a pack out fallen coated in black armor sprang forth. The four-armed warriors dashed towards their opponents armed with shock blades, pistols, and rifles. Tolcum had his weapon raised, ready to strike fatal blows to all his enemies when he heard noises from behind. Iris was already at his back, her pulse rifle aimed at the additional vandals.

Before Tolcum could pull his index finger back, the shouts of others caught him by surprise. His hand shook unsteadily as he whipped around to see an unprecedented sight. Twenty vandals were standing around them, with another species at their side: humans. The men and women were wearing tattered clothing, their skin covered in dirt. Within their hands were elongated, steel spears; and the weapons were pointed directly at the guardians. "What is this?" Tolcum questioned to no one in particular, his arm falling regretfully to his side. Confusion flooded his brain, and his mouth was held jaggedly open.

"Why are you helping these creatures?" Iris asked the people.

A dark-skinned man stepped forward and planted his spear in the ground beside him. A smile came across his face as he recognized the signature armor of the warriors that stood before him. "Actually, it's the other way around." His mouth remained open, ready to say more when a fallen vandal stepped past him.

"Come," the vandal growled to the guardians. The eliksni soldier wore black armor, same as the rest, with the exception of a red stripe going down the center of his helmet. He gestured to the Acropolis with one of his freshly sharpened shock blades, and a pair of his brethren shoved the guardians forward.

Not wanting to endanger his own kind, Tolcum did as the fallen demanded. He stumbled forward, holstering his revolver as he went. Iris remained by his side during their march. The dark-skinned man that had previously spoked with them was also close by. He spared them a sympathetic look before turning his gaze to the Acropolis.

"Why aren't we doing anything?" Iris questioned her comrade. She wanted more than anything to squeeze the life out of the space pirates which had surrounded them.

"Because there's nothing to do," Tolcum replied, his eyes wide with disorientation. All he felt he could do was follow the vandal, hoping that all would soon be explained.

The elevator ride felt like hours to Tolcum. All the while he watched the once expansive ruins of the city decrease in size as he rose higher and higher into the sky. He was on an industrial elevator with Iris and their captors. The machine proved its age with the hair-raising creaks in its gears that echoed through the shaft as they continued up. Tolcum looked to the dark-skinned man for answers. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"To meet with the kell," the man replied, his voice shaky.

Iris stepped closer to her fellow guardian. Though she still contained her weapons, her courage to use them had been diminished. "Why do these people seem so scared?" she asked.

"Because something bad is about to happen," Tolcum answered. The elevator's gears ground to a halt, and its massive doors slid open. They had arrived at the top of the Acropolis, it's aesthetics closely resembling that of ancient Greece. Pillars lined the chamber, with the regions to the right and left opening up to the world beyond. The chamber was packed with humans as well as fallen, and at the other end of the chamber was a makeshift throne, constructed from scrapped shanks. Blades lined the back of the throne, and upon its metal cushion sat a fallen captain, his armor making the entire room seem darker than it truly was. Coated in black, the only other color upon his armor was a pair of red markings below his eyes, and a gray cape tightened around his neck extended down to his thighs. The creature was intently examining the skull of a long-deceased thrall when he noticed his guests arriving. He dropped the head onto the marble flooring and rose confidently from his throne.

"So, these are the intruders?" the captain asked rhetorically, two of his arms falling to his hips.

"Indeed, your grace," the fallen, which had demanded the guardians to follow, answered.

"Many thanks for bringing them, Variksis. And to you as well, Revels," the captain congratulated, gesturing to the fallen and the dark-skinned man that stood beside him. "Now, about these guardians…" the captain began to say.

"You're their kell?" Tolcum abruptly laughed. He stepped forward, past his comrade. Variksis attempted to block his path, but the hunter simply pushed past him.

"There's not enough ether to go around, and I have been forced to reduce my portion," the kell stated. If he was offended by Tolcum's interjection, he didn't show it.

"You don't look like any fallen house I've seen before, and you've decided to take humans as prisoner rather than execute them. So tell me, who are you," Tolcum demanded to know. The hunter was unfazed as Variksis gave him a sinister hiss from behind.

"Prisoner?! No, no, no, petty guardian," the kell chuckled. He raised his arms to the people around him. "These are my guests," he stated. He then stepped towards the hunter, his gaze intense. "We are the few who dared to defy the other houses. We are the few who care not for the Traveler; it abandoned us for a reason, and there's nothing we can do to change that." His voice rose with each sentence spoken. "We are the few who dared to show compassion for others, and we are the few who have survived against all odds," the kell explained as he continued to stomp towards Tolcum. "We are House Dawn, and I am their kell: Krovix!" he roared. His powerful voice was accompanied by a cacophony of howls from his fallen brethren, as well as cheers from the humans around him.

"So, why are we here?" Tolcum questioned, a hand on his holster.

"Don't try anything stupid," Revels warned, his spear pointed to the hunter. Still, the guardian's stare remained upon the fallen leader.

"You are here…" the Krovix began. He hesitated in his words, most likely due to a loss of pride. "Because we need your help." It was then that Tolcum remembered the distress signal. "My vandals spotted members of House Kings on the outskirts of the city. My people and I have lived here in peace for nearly a century, and we refuse to be stamped out now," the kell explained.

Tolcum looked back to Iris, who appeared to be showing some sympathy for the others in the room. The hunter then returned his gaze to the fallen kell. "What is it you want us to do, exactly?"

"Find those enemy scouts, and cut them down before they reach their kell," Krovix instructed.

"Why should we?" Iris abruptly asked, stepping to Tolcum's side.

"Because I fear House Kings has much more devious plans than hunting down a nearly extinct house," the kell explained. "Scouts from House Devils were with them, and I worry they are preparing for an assault not upon Old Caprica, but the Last City."

"Two houses, together?" Iris questioned as she turned to her fellow guardian.

"We won't know for certain unless we investigate," Tolcum replied in a hushed tone. He then tilted his head back. "Polaris, you up for another adventure?"

"I'm always ready, sir," the ghost exuberantly stated from nowhere.

Tolcum looked once more to the kell. "Very well, Krovix. We'll hunt down those scouts, and uncover all we can."


	7. Chapter 6: House of Kings

Tracking down the fallen was easy enough. Tolcum had learned from years of experience how to track down a target, and the burn marks from the fallen pikes made his hunt all the simpler. The guardian pair zipped across the landscape on their freshly polished sparrows, swiftly weaving their way between the numerous trees that lined the still flourishing forests of Earth, intent on catching their targets. Iris knew the landscape well, as it was where she had once died. They followed the tree line, and watched as it split to reveal a steadily flowing stream of water. The stream grew to become a river, and the guardians followed it until it plummeted over the cliffside as a waterfall. Tolcum then took a hard right, with Iris following close behind. They stuck close to the cliffside, tracing it around the winding path against the steep mountainside above.

"Are you sure we're on the right track?" Iris called out over comms.

"I'm positive," Tolcum affirmed. After winding the final turn, he saw them; six pikes were releasing heaps of smoke from their rear thrusters. Three contained a member from the House of Devils, with the others being of House Kings. One of the fallen glanced back, almost smirking when he spotted the guardians in hot pursuit. The members from the House of Devils broke off, headed for their own home as the fallen from the House of Kings continued onward.

"What do you want to do?" Iris questioned. She wanted more than anything to eliminate the Devils.

"We follow the Kings," Tolcum stated, his sparrow accelerating desperately to catch the enemy. The chase continued over another river, their vehicles gliding elegantly across the water. Though he tried, Tolcum's sparrow simply wasn't fast enough to catch the fallen. That was when he resorted to another tactic entirely. The hunter reached for his revolver and lifted it to the enemy. Bang! A single shot slammed into the engines of a pike, setting its rear on fire. The vehicle erupted in smoke and flames as it flipped forward, crashing into a nearby stone structure. The remaining two fallen continued onward, unfazed by the pursuing guardians. The group eventually entered a terrestrial complex, and Tolcum began to fear the worst.

"Where are they leading us?" Iris questioned. Her sparrow was now zipping through the air alongside Tolcum's.

"To the King's Watch," the hunter replied. He gave a slight frown, realizing they would be unable to prevent the scouts from entering their keep.

The pair of fallen dismounted their pikes and made a mad dash for the entrance. Sentries at the doors raised their rifles to stop the oncoming guardians, but were immediately gunned down as Tolcum zipped past. He leaped from his sparrow and slammed his feet onto the trash-covered ground of the King's Watch. Iris fired rounds from her pulse rifle over his head, her bullets crashing into the skull of one of the scouts. The last fallen veered around the corner of the hall and disappeared into the facility.

"After him!" Tolcum shouted as he sprinted down the hall and around the corner.

"Tolcum, slow down!" Iris called out. She ran after her comrade and turned the corner, only to find a hallway littered with fallen bodies; the hunter was causing a ruckus throughout the facility as he chased down the final spy. Oddly enough, Polaris had remained behind, choosing to examine the corpses left in his guardian's wake. "Tolcum doesn't seem to be acting normal," Iris commented as she approached the hunter's ghost.

"He hasn't acted normal for years now," Polaris answered half-heartedly, his eye not courageous enough to look upon the warlock. "Just look at this mess he's created."

"We're supposed to kill these monsters," Iris replied, taking in her surroundings.

"While true, Tolcum's behavior has become increasingly more erratic within the past few days," Polaris stated. The corpses he gazed upon had been viciously hacked to ribbons. Somehow the hunter had made a fatal process which should've taken minutes occur in only seconds. Iris herself barely heard the struggle.

"Come, let's catch up with him," the warlock urged, stepping through the hallway of corpses into the chamber beyond.

"Though I hate to admit it, I'm worried for Tolcum," Polaris abruptly said. His floating components were hung low with concern. His eye stared off into an empty corner of the room, as if something was calling his name. "He wasn't always like this, you know."

"What did the hunter used to be like?" Iris asked, her curiosity peaked. Since the moment she'd met the man, there was some odd sensation about him that drew her to his side, even though his personality was less than stellar.

"He used to be a lot like you," Polaris chirped, a bleak sort of joy rising in his voice. "I remember waking him from the dead. He was distraught, but after hearing my explanation, his eyes appeared to sparkle with a new sense of purpose," the ghost explained as the pair journeyed through another door. "I remember the first time we traveled to the Tower. Back then, the Vanguard was actually fond of him. Every time we'd return from a mission, he'd journey to the City Core and openly chat with the civilian population," Polaris claimed. "But, that all changed when…"

"When I lost everything," a hostile voice boomed.

Iris was so caught up in Polaris's words that she had forgotten where they were headed. Now, she was within the inner sanctum of the King's Watch, and Tolcum was standing directly in front of her.

"Was my previous explanation not detailed enough? As I've said before, I used to believe in this world. I used to believe that my friends and I were unstoppable," Tolcum stated, his tone hushed. The last fallen scout was lying dead behind him, next to the central data terminal of the facility. "The first friendly face I ever set my eyes on was a titan by the name of Lorix-18. The two of us soon became close friends, and eventually we met others," the hunter explained, his tone sharpening. "Jaren, Itheria, and Harver were as good as my brothers and sisters. We were a tight-knit group of guardians who toppled one enemy after another," Tolcum explained. He gave a gentle chuckle as he reminisced over fallen friends. "Yep, I was living the life, but something was missing; something I found in a new member of our team: Saris." After uttering her name, his body began to shake. "She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, with one of the biggest hearts," he said, a grim smirk of happiness appearing beneath his helmet. "I truly began to see my reawakening as a blessing from the Traveler, and wanted to do whatever I could for my those I cared the most for." His gaze suddenly dropped to the floor, and the faintest sound of tears being stifled rang through Iris's eardrums. "Then, one fateful morning, as the sun dared to show its face, I caught the shadowy outline of a fallen captain. Then there was another, and another. My friends were already on their feet, ready for a fight. We were brimming with self-appointed confidence, ready to slay the numerous enemies of the Last City," he explained. "So we fought, initially massacring the aliens that had dared to trifle with us." His hands were balled in fists, as if ready to strike anything that dared to move. "Then, a terrifying noise rang out. It was that of a fallen walker firing. In an instant, Harver was dead. My head was spinning, not able to comprehend what had happened. When I finally realized the truth of the situation, it was too late. We noticed that what was initially fifty fallen had turned to three thousand, and we were surrounded," he explained. Slowly, he raised his head to the warlock that stood before him. "One by one, my friends died as we attempted to retreat. Saris and I were almost clear of the carnage when a wire rifle…"

Iris dared to step closer to the hunter. "Tolcum?" she asked hesitantly. Her rifle was still held firmly within her grasp.

"When a wire rifle tore through her chest!" Tolcum roared, his foot cracking the steel flooring he stood upon. "Her ghost was blown away with another stray shot, and the person I cared most for was gone."

"Tell her what happened afterwards," Polaris suddenly urged.

"I stumbled through the wilderness, longing for another shot from the enemy to whisk me away, when I came across an ancient hive seeder ship. Inside contained texts that never should've been read," Tolcum explained, a sinister grin peeking out across his face. "But I did read them, I performed the ritual, and now…"

Iris watched as the hunter's left arm turned black with shadows. Molten ash and mucky fog coated the arm, but Tolcum showed no concern. In fact, Iris took note of his laughter.

"Now I am the monster you see before you," Tolcum stated. "I hunted down the fallen that murdered my friends, and butchered every last one of them!" he shouted viciously. "I mounted their heads on bloody stakes, and strolled away with my head held high."

"You became the very thing you vowed to destroy," Iris stated in a soft voice.

"So what?!" Tolcum questioned angrily.

Iris dropped her weapon, instead choosing to move her hands to her helmet. Slowly, she unstrapped the piece of armor, and removed it from her head. Her light blue eyes practically pierced Tolcum's soul. "You may have tried to hide your emotions, but you forgot that your emotions are what make you human," she explained.

"Don't," Tolcum protested. "Don't try to argue with my decision. Everyone that gets close to me dies. That's why I've gone for so long without anyone by my side," he explained, gritting his teeth. Still, he couldn't deny how splendid the warlock appeared without her helmet. The awoken woman wore long, flowing white hair which stretched out on the right side of her head.

"I think it's time you gave up the delusion that a curse is out to cause you misery," Iris stated, her voice sympathetic yet stern. "You think you're the only one who's lost loved ones? We're guardians! It's practically in the job description." The woman took another step closer, her hand slowly reaching out as if to provide some form of comfort. "What would your friends think if they saw you like this?"

Tolcum's body shuddered. His mind was torn between opinions: part of him wanting to strangle the warlock and the other wanting to fall on his knees in humility. He never got the opportunity to decide, as a noise began to emit from the terminal behind him. By the time he turned to the machine, Iris was already approaching it, her helmet returned to its rightful place over her head. "What is it?" Tolcum asked.

"Don't know," Iris replied, staring intently at the console. "I suppose we should find out." With that, Zoira materialized from thin air to appear by her guardian's side. "Think you can get this machine to work?" Iris asked her ghost.

"Can I?" Zoira questioned, as if offended. The quirky little ghost set to work decrypting the lock on the console's info, and within a minute pulled up all the data she could find.

"It's a map," Tolcum stated, approaching the terminal with a cooler head than earlier. The blue holographic image contained the familiar terrain of the nearby regions. It was after a closer examination that the hunter finally understood what he was staring at. "These are battle formations."

Iris saw that there were twelve main groups, each with its own designation. They were spread out all across the mountainside, but the center of their deadly circumference was the Last City. "I never knew the House of Kings had so many troops. There's hundreds of thousands of soldiers depicted in this diagram," Iris remarked, her heart sinking as she felt the weight of the fallen horde's numbers upon her shoulders.

"It's not just the House of Kings. Look closer," Tolcum pointed out. Over each group was a banner, and Tolcum knew what all of them signified. "This map contains forces from the House of Kings, Devils, Winter, and Wolves."

"But every group with the Wolves' banner is crossed out," Iris said, pointing to three of the twelve groups.

"My guess would be that they've either been wiped out, or are a no-show for this assault," Tolcum hypothesized.

"I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as we have this information," Iris replied. She nodded to Zoira for her to extract the data, when the sound of a foot touching steel sent a chill down her spine.

"Get the file, quickly," Tolcum urged. His revolver was already in hand, a fresh clip eager to be abused. The footsteps grew louder, and the hunter was forced to act for his friend, removing Iris from the terminal as an enormous creature came from the shadows to reveal itself. The being then violently brought its arms down upon the terminal. The machine buckled under the creature's massive arms, crumpling like crushed paper. Sparks shot across the floor as wires tore apart, and the guardians were stuck staring up at the figure of a mighty fallen. Yellow markings ran across the eliksni's armor, with the cape of House Kings flowing quietly behind. The creature slowly lifted its body off the console and turned savagely to its adversaries. "So, you're the Kell of Kings," Tolcum said.

The creature did not respond right away, most likely due to its lack of knowledge with human languages. "No guardian has gazed upon me and lived," the kell finally growled, his voice deep with authority. Then, in vicious rage, the kell swung his arm, horrifically knocking Iris into a nearby pillar. Tolcum pulled the trigger on his weapon, causing six shots to tear their way across the room. To his surprise, the rounds splintered and cracked upon contact with the kell's armor. The shattered cases then fell helplessly to the ground. Tolcum continued to fire, but his shots simply pinged off the fallen's armor as the he reached for a shrapnel launcher at his back. Once in hand, the kell fired.

Tolcum leaped to the side of the oncoming flames, barely avoiding death. His revolver was quickly reloaded, but even with bullets the weapon had proven itself useless. The hunter chose to holster the firearm and resort to a more efficient form of combat: his Light. After narrowly dodging another volley of shrapnel rounds, Tolcum called to the void for aid. A violet bow of energy formed in his hand, with a single arrow embedded within it. The hunter raised his brilliantly glowing weapon to the kell and let the arrow fly free. _How could he possibly survive this?_

The kell watched the arrow fly to his head and smiled beneath his helmet. With the simple move of his head, the dreaded beam of Light that would've proven fatal flew harmlessly past him to the ceiling beyond.

Before Tolcum could regain his focus, he heard what sounded like an army of ants scurrying about. He looked to his right and left, to his horror witnessing dozens of fallen exit from holes in the walls. Their ranks included the likes of the house's most notorious barons: Paskin, Phyksin, and Vekis. The hunter's mind was flooded with ideas of how to retaliate, when a voice suddenly consumed his ears.

"Run!" Iris called out, making a blind charge for the kell. "Get to the Vanguard!" she urged before igniting her hands with the lightning bolts of a stormcaller. She unleashed a torrent of electricity upon the kell, forcing the creature to stumble back as bolts of blue energy ignited its armor. Unfortunately for Iris, the fallen quickly recovered and brought its heavily plated arms to bear on the bolts. The kell then began to confidently stomp forward, his eyes dark with rage, intent on killing his target.

For once, Tolcum did as he was told, choosing to retreat to the room's exit. He wanted to run even further, but an urge to look back forced him to turn. What he saw filled him with grief and anger. The kell stood triumphantly in the center of the chamber, Iris firmly held high in the air within his left hand. The numerous additional members of House Kings were charging the hunter's position, and he felt the Darkness calling to him. A pent-up form of anguish that had never seen the light of day consumed his mind. He outstretched his arms, granting the evil of the void to gift him with its dark powers. A black, bloody bow fell into his hands, with three arrows already implanted in the string. He pulled back, aiming for the ceiling above, and fired. The ceiling caved in, crushing a fallen vandal beneath its weight, and blocking off the rest from his position.

"Iris," Polaris uttered, his voice weak.

Tolcum fell to his knees, unable to breathe. _Not again. Not again. Not again._ "I guess that curse is real," he laughed, tears of frustration slowly falling down his cheeks.

"It's not your fault, Tolcum," Polaris attempted to assure his guardian. "Remember what she said: inform the Vanguard of what we've learned."

"What good it'll do," the hunter replied angrily. "They want nothing to do with me. I wouldn't be surprised if they threw me out of the Tower for merely making my presence known."

"We have to try," Polaris stated, flying over to his guardian's side. "For Iris's sake."

Tolcum lifted his head to the ghost. Slowly, his hands went to his hood and brought it back. He then lowered his bandana to his neck, and grabbed hold of his helmet. In one swift motion, the piece of armor came off his head, and he was left staring at Polaris with his own eyes. They glowed purple, with his once spiked black hair falling to his forehead. A scar over his right eye was the only blemish on his perfect face. "You're right, Polaris," Tolcum eventually agreed, a light smirk coming across his face.


	8. Chapter 7: Call to Arms

"Oh, great," Cayde said in the most unenthusiastic voice he could muster. His day had suddenly been made worse when he caught a glimpse of Tolcum's iconic ship rocketing towards the Tower.

The void-wielding hunter transmatted at high velocity to the Tower's concrete flooring. When he made contact with the ground, he immediately turned his motion to a sprint. There was not a second to waste.

"What's the hurry, Tolcum?" Cayde questioned, slouching in posture to indicate that he didn't really care what the answer was.

"Where's the Vanguard?" Tolcum asked hurriedly, stopping his forward movement just in front of Cayde. His tone was sharp, implying that there was some form of urgency to his question.

"Why do you care?" Cayde asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Because I have very important information that they need to here," Tolcum replied.

Cayde put a finger to his chin, wondering whether or not to help the unconventional hunter. Though practically everyone in the Tower dislike Tolcum, something about his desperation made the exo long to see where the situation would go. "Zavala and Ikora are in the Hall of Guardians," he finally said. "I'd be cautious if I were you, though. The mega titans are having a little chit-chat with them."

Tolcum knew all too well that the "mega titans" he was referring to were Shaxx and Saladin. "Great," Tolcum muttered under his breath as he took off in the direction of the hall.

"Hold on!" Cayde abruptly called out. "Whatever it is you want to talk to them about, I want to come too."

"Why?" Tolcum questioned, almost weirded out by the exo's sudden eagerness to join him.

"Because by the sound of things, you've got some juicy information for that group of stern-coats. I want to be there when you drop this info on them," Cayde explained. His eyes were alight with excitement.

"Whatever," Tolcum conceded before turning to again make for the hall. Within ten paces, he was down the steps. He rounded a corner and slid swiftly into the Hall of Guardians.

"Dead Orbit has always been a pain in my rear!" Zavala bellowed. "That does not mean we consider dropping them from the Consensus." The renowned titan was having a heated debate with the last Iron Lord when the he spotted Tolcum out the corner of his eye.

"Sirs, we need to talk," Tolcum stated as he approached. His movements were suddenly more controlled and elegant. Power followed his motions as he came to stand before four of the most well-known guardians in the Tower.

"There had better be a good reason for this interruption, hunter," Ikora hissed, clearly irritated by the interruption.

"What if I told you I knew of an impending attack on the city?" Tolcum asked rhetorically.

"I'm intrigued," Cayde interjected, coming up from behind the group with a packet of popcorn in his hand. The others turned to him with questioning looks. "Don't mind me, just wanted a good seat for this conversation." He then proceeded to waltz over to a stack of boxes and pull out a concealed microwave.

"How long has that been there?" Ikora questioned.

"Three months," Cayde answered knowingly. He then shoved his compressed bag of popcorn into the device at turned it on. "Please, continue," he urged the group as he stared at the wondrous popcorn which was popping inside the microwave.

Tolcum snapped himself out of the distraction and focused his energy to the speech he had to give. For the past few years he'd been a nuisance upon the Vanguard, to the point that they had become fed up with his antics. Now, he needed their help, and feared they wouldn't listen. "I was hunting down a group of fallen scouts when I entered the King's Watch. The warlock, Iris, was with me as well," the hunter began.

"And just where is Iris?" Ikora asked. She was thus far unamused by the man's tale.

Tolcum knew they wouldn't believe him if he explained, but that wouldn't make their faulty judgement truth. Part of him couldn't begin to fathom the pain he was feeling as he recalled the final moment he gazed upon his friend. "She's… gone," he said, practically gagging at the words he uttered.

Before the others in the room could speak up, Polaris made his presence known. "The brave warlock distracted the enemy so that we could escape and relay this information to you," he explained. Oddly enough, the guardians seemed to respond in a more positive manner to the ghost's words than those of his guardian.

"What information have you brought, exactly?" Saladin spoke up, his deep voice demanding respect of all those who heard it.

"I have news of an impending fallen assault on the Last City," Tolcum stated.

"The fallen have constantly sought to poke at our walls, but they have never broken through. You'd better have some more specifics than that," Shaxx replied. The enormous titan crossed his arms, hoping that the hunter still had more words to speak.

"While inside the King's Watch, we opened a file which contained battle formations," Tolcum continued, his eyes remaining on Shaxx as he grew irritated of the constant interjections. "They weren't simply guard posts, or scouting operations; there were hundreds of thousands of fallen depicted by head-count in the diagram."

"House Kings does not contain the number of troops you are suggesting," Zavala argued.

"Because the troops weren't just from the House of Kings!" Tolcum shouted, tired of those in the room trying to stifle his argument. "Above the twelve main formations contained the emblem of a house, and we counted for total houses: The House of Kings, House of Devils, House of Winter, and House of Wolves," he explained.

"The House of Winter and Wolves aren't even on Earth," Cayde suddenly pointed out. He was now calmly munching on popcorn in the corner of the room.

"For once, I'm in agreement with Cayde," Ikora added. "What you say makes no sense, Tolcum."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" the hunter lashed out. "We saw twelve large formations, consisting of those houses, positioned around the city."

"Do you have the file with you?" Zavala asked.

Tolcum's eyes went wide. He had pulled Iris away from the terminal just before the Kell of Kings came down upon the machine. The file he had seen was gone. "No," he muttered, ashamed of himself for making such a foolish mistake.

"Then everything that you say from here on out is pointless," Zavala stated. "I don't know what sort of charade you're trying to pull, but the Vanguard will not fall for any more of your lies, Tolcum."

Without even realizing it, Tolcum's hand was on his knife. "Iris, my friend, gave her life so that I could come here," he growled, teeth clenched. "I came here, not because I like any of you, but because the very survival of our race is at stake. A guardian is dead because of this mess, and now you all proclaim me a liar?!" he roared, his knife lifting to stare down Zavala. The others in the room backed up, except for Saladin and Cayde. The hunter in the corner continued to peacefully chew his popcorn, cracking a smile as he witnessed Tolcum snap.

Thunderous footsteps approached. The gold-covered titan with wolves dancing across his armored plates stormed towards Tolcum. He launched his left arm forward, taking hold of Tolcum's blade. "Drop it," Saladin demanded before tightly squeezing his palm around the knife. The small weapon's blade shattered within the man's grasp. He then grabbed hold of the hunter's shoulder, ready to quickly subdue the unstable guardian. That was when a foot slammed into his helmet.

Tolcum nailed the titan in the face with his foot as he shifted his weight and spiraled backwards. His body flipped through the air, gracefully coming to a stop when his feet returned to the ground. The hunter rose to his full height, emotions unwinding in flurry of screams. Purple streams of energy flooded the room and accumulated around the hunter's hands. A violet bow materialized within Tolcum's grasp, followed by something much darker. A black, mucky substance revealed itself on his left arm, consuming it in Darkness as his bow became drenched in the shadowy material.

"What in the name of the Traveler are you?!" Ikora questioned angrily. Void energy of a holier form was flowing around her hands, ready to be unleashed if the hunter made any sudden move.

Saladin was no push-over, and spread his legs to his combat stance as he lowered his center of gravity. A great, flaming axe was ripped from his back and brought to his hands. "Stand down, hunter!" the Iron Lord demanded as he leveled his weapon.

"That's enough!" Zavala stated, coming between the warriors. In the span of half a second, everything could go south. The commander of the Vanguard turned to gaze upon the blackened hunter, his eyes filled with hatred. "Tolcum, not only have you attempted to deceive the Vanguard, but you have given yourself over to the Darkness," Zavala claimed. "It is because of these facts that I hereby exile you from the Last City, never to return."

The words struck Tolcum like a freight train. Upon hearing Zavala, his bow shattered into the air. The Darkness dripped from his body to the floor, and the guardian was forced to stagger back. He had risked everything on this meeting, and had lost the gamble. Unlike Cayde, he didn't have an ace in the hole.

"You heard him," Polaris said sympathetically. "Let's go."

Still, Tolcum continued to stare at Zavala. They were about the same height. "You don't believe me," he uttered softly, unable to come to terms with the situation. He stood motionless, his legs failing to move him away from the group. His mind continued to spiral out of control until a lightbulb went off. Suddenly, just as is customary of a hunter, he had a loophole. "Fine, then I'll gather those who will believe me."

"And who might that be?" Shaxx asked.

"The Knights of Earth," Tolcum stated, a smirk showing itself beneath his helmet. Though the others tried to stop him, he took off in a dead sprint out of the room. Polaris was with him. He rounded a corner and bounded up the steps to the plaza. His ship was waiting for him, Polaris already prepared to transmat his guardian when a voice stopped the pair.

"Hold up, Tolcum," Cayde begged as he caught up to his fellow hunter.

"What do you want?" Tolcum questioned. He desperately wanted to strangle to rather absurd exo.

"I just wanted to say…" Cayde began to speak as he stepped dangerously close to Tolcum. "I believe you," he finished. "Despite what the Zavala thinks, I can see through the deeds of people. I'm confident you didn't come here just to waste their time. After all, you have traditionally hated the Vanguard," he explained. He then gently wrapped an arm around Tolcum's neck. "I'll see if I can talk to Lord Shaxx about this unusual predicament, but for now you've gotta do whatever you have to. This city's depending on you, hunter," he said. Not a second later, Cayde was gone.

Core East contained one of the few places Tolcum didn't mind visiting. It would take several hours for his banishment to take effect, which was plenty of time for him to journey to his destination: The Chamber of Steel. It was the headquarters for the Knights of Earth. Though strong, the organization failed to receive a place on the Consensus due to their lack of numbers. While the New Monarchy, Future War Cult, Dead Orbit, and Concordat had thousands of members at their disposal, the Knights of Earth only numbered around a few hundred.

The guardian arrived within a matter of minutes, and transmatted out of his ship by the complex's entrance. The facility was monstrous, with battlements atop its mighty structure. Though Core East was not a military district, being next to the Chamber of Steel would make one think differently. Tolcum and Polaris eyed each other before daring to approach the giant doors. A single knock from Tolcum sent a violent echo down the street. His body rippled with the soundwaves as the echo quieted. Then, the doors opened.

A hunter was at the entrance, decked out in green, iron armor handed down to him by Saladin for proving himself in a bout of hand-to-hand combat. A wolf pelt was tightened around his neck and stretched down to his knees. "Tolcum, it's been too long," the hunter exclaimed as he stretched his arms out to embrace the guardian.

"Indeed, Parthix. Unfortunately, the urgency of my predicament demands that I speak with Brakson," Tolcum replied.

"Oh, of course," Parthix said, giving a gentle bow. "The boss would love to have a chat with one of his closest allies." With that, he urged Tolcum to follow as he led the way into the facility. The hallways were brightly lit, and numerous guardians were roaming the halls. Most of those loyal to the Knights of Earth were titans, though there were several respected warlocks and hunters among their ranks, such as Parthix. He continued down to a lift at the end of the hall and waited patiently for his guest to join him before activating the machine. The energetic hunter quickly launched them up as soon as Tolcum was on the platform, and the pair was sent rising to the top floor of the building.

The top floor was comprised of a single room, though several doorways led to the sentry towers outside. Tolcum knew the room all too well. It was a marvel, consisting of six giant statues comprised of gold. They stood for the Great Six who defended against an onslaught of fallen and hive centuries ago, without the safeguard of Light. Each statue contained a massive sword that was driven into the floor, and at the end of the room was a shrine where guardians could go to pay their respects to the dead. In the center of the room stood the man he was looking for, caught up in a conversation with two other titans.

"Hey, boss!" Parthix called out. "Look who I brought?"

Brakson-7 currently had his helmet removed, revealing his dark-blue exo skull. A red ring was around his right eye, placed on his face as a symbol of fearlessness. His armor was a dark-red, resembling that of the knights of old. Tolcum long-hypothesized that it was once armor provided by the New Monarchy, though their emblems had been scratched off. Brakson, upon seeing one of his oldest allies, excused the other titans and turned to the hunters. "Tolcum, what a splendid occasion this is," he beamed as he approached. "To what do I owe this rare appearance?"

"Brakson, it's good to see you," Tolcum replied. "I wish I could say I came here just to catch up, but unfortunately a rather unprecedented circumstance has presented itself," he explained.

"Well go on, speak comrade," Brakson urged.

"It's about the fallen," Tolcum began. "I was with a warlock by the name of Iris when I discovered something unsettling within the King's Watch. They're aligning themselves with the other fallen houses," he explained. "They want the city, and if we fail to act, it will fall."

"The fallen houses combining?" Parthix questioned, unable to wrap his mind around the situation.

"That would be hundreds of thousands of hostile warriors, not to mention the countless walkers they'll be bringing with them," Brakson remarked, a hand on his metal chin. "Have you brought this information to the Vanguard?"

"Yes, and they pushed me away," Tolcum replied.

"More than that, they exiled him," Polaris added. A second later, Tolcum grabbed hold of his tiny, robotic body in an effort to shut him up.

Brakson simply laughed. "The meeting must've gone even worse than I imagined." Though he was not surprised by Tolcum failing to win over the Vanguard, he was curious to where Tolcum's friend was. "Where exactly is Iris?"

Tolcum's gaze fell to the ground, unnerving memories coming back into his mind. "She stayed behind so that I could escape. The Kell of Kings broke the terminal which held all the data on the assault, and now I've got nothing," he explained. His heart felt like it had been cut open.

"So, all we have to go off is your word?" Brakson asked.

"Yes," Tolcum replied reluctantly. Parthix began to belly laugh from behind him.

"Please, we've gone off less from you," the iron-plated hunter said as he attempted to control his laughter.

"Very true, Parthix," Brakson admitted with a slight nod. "If the Vanguard will not help, then it would appear we are all that stand between the fallen and the Last City," he stated, his eyes locking onto Tolcum. "So, Hunter of Darkness, what are your orders?"

Tolcum felt a wave of joy come across him as the titan uttered his words. At long last, someone believed him. "My orders are simple: we fight."


	9. Chapter 8: Retrieval

"This is a stupid plan," Parthix grumbled as the group began to climb the hillside. "We're too far from the city, with very little cover."

"If we can help it, we will certainly avoid attacking the enemy on an open field," Brakson assured his comrade. Though many rode on their sparrows, they kept a slow pace due to Brakson insisting on riding his trusty horse, Cornelius. Many others also rode on horseback. Although Parthix had tried to talk him out of the decision, Brakson made it clear that Cornelius had always been by his side, and he would not be separated by his noble steed when such an important event was to take place.

"What's even out here for us?" Parthix questioned.

"The remnants of Old Caprica," Brakson stated. "Tolcum informed me of some allies that are holed up in the city, and we need all the warriors we can get."

"Who are they exactly? Is it a group of refugee humans, exos, awoken?" Parthix raised an eyebrow. He slowly glided across the air on his sparrow next to the galloping Cornelius. The horse was coated in brown fur.

"Humans are there to be sure, but I'm more concerned with those that are with them: The House of Dawn," Brakson answered.

"What?!" Parthix shouted, causing the nearby guardians to jump in surprise. "Fallen?"

"Despite what you may think, Tolcum informed me that they are on our side," Brakson tried to ease his tense friend. "We're in a rather desperate situation, Parthix. With only a few hundred guardians, we're hopelessly outnumbered against the fallen hordes. Desperate times call for desperate measures," he explained. It was after he had finished his explanation that the pair reached the top of the hillside. There, hidden below the rising sun stood the ruins of Old Caprica, and something was quite wrong. Heaps of smoke were rising up from the shattered city, and Brakson made out the silhouette on an army on the mountainside overlooking the ruins. Sounds of gunfire filled the region as Brakson came to the realization that they were too late.

"Well, so much for reinforcements," Parthix stated, almost delighted by the sight.

"Where there's gunfire, there's a fight," Brakson stated. By now, the others in his army had reached the hilltop as well. "We will not give up hope just because the situation appears dire; we've been through worse." He urged Cornelius to turn and was soon staring at all those who stood before him. "Whether fallen or human, those trapped within the city are our allies. The Vanguard turned its back on us, and we cannot afford to be as stubborn as them," he stated. "Today, you ride for the dream that our kind may yet survive. Today, you ride for all those that have perished. Today, you ride for the Last City!" he roared. Cornelius instinctively reared up on his hind legs in triumph. "Now, charge!" Brakson shouted, pointing his arm to Old Caprica. A sea of cheers followed, and soon a stream of sparrows and horses descended from the hill. Guardians, with weapons in hand, raced to the burning city.

"You've always had a way with words," Parthix admitted before joining the group.

Brakson watched his army charge forward, and suddenly felt helpless. "If only my words could save us."

Cayde slipped into Shaxx's quarters. The hulking titan was in the rare situation of having his helmet removed. However, he was facing away from the hunter. "Yoo-hoo," Cayde called out, making his presence known.

Shaxx scrabbled to reach his helmet, swiftly applying it to his head before turning to face the intruder. "Cayde, what are you doing here?!" he questioned angrily. The titan was a giant among men, rising to more than a head above Cayde's height.

"Just came to see how my favorite titan is doing," Cayde lied, putting on his traditional plastic smile.

Shaxx shook his head in frustration. "Get out of my quarters, hunter."

"Hey, didn't you want another hunter to do the same earlier?" Cayde asked, making a rather awkward segue to his main discussion point.

"What is it you want, Cayde?" Shaxx relented.

"I just want to know your opinion on the Tolcum situation," Cayde replied innocently.

"He is banished from the city, never to return. There is no point in having an opinion when what's done is done," the titan stated, crossing his massive arms.

"But, you have to admit what happened was rather bizarre, right?" Cayde asked, tilting his head.

"We get crazies up here all the time," Shaxx replied nonchalantly.

"But an impending attack on the city? Fallen houses uniting? It all seems outrageous, right?" Cayde pushed. "So outrageous, in fact, that it might actually be true."

"I trust Zavala's judgement on the decision, Cayde," Shaxx stated, puffing out his chest in authority. "I will not dispute this with you anymore."

"You're right," Cayde replied, taking a step away from the titan. He put up his arms as if to concede. "Tolcum was a crazy bat. He was mischievous and rather insane. I mean, we've witnessed first-hand that he's conversed with the dreaded powers of the Darkness. There's no way he could've been telling the truth about an impending attack on the city, unless he was."

"Get out!" Shaxx shouted.

"Listen bulky," Cayde growled, pointing a finger to the titan. "Zavala and Ikora may believe whole-heartedly that Tolcum was lying, but what if, just what if, he was telling the truth?"

"He wasn't," Shaxx stated, as if his words held some form of worth.

"But what if?!" Cayde shouted. "If by some stretch of the imagination, he's right, this city will be destroyed." He caught a shift in Shaxx's stance and smirked. "You already know that, though, don't you?"

Shaxx stared at the hunter, unable to find words to say. He looked Cayde over once more before lightly gesturing for the hunter to continue making his point.

"Think about it, Shaxypoo. If we get defenses ready and there's no fallen attack, there's no harm done; but, if we don't prepare anything for our guests and they show up, our civilization is doomed," Cayde explained. He then drew closer to the titan and leaned in. "We can't afford to be wrong about this."

Krovix plunged his elongated shock blade through the vandal's chest, impaling him as the weapon jammed into the wall on the other side of its body. Blood poured out the gaping wound as the Kell of Dawn plucked his weapon free of the corpse. "What a piece of filth, these members of House Devils," he snarled. It was then that his lieutenant came bounding to his side.

"My kell, the enemy is swiftly encroaching on our position," Variksis informed, attempting to catch his breath. "They are flooding the streets with captains, vandals, and dregs. Devil walkers are also on the way."

"What of our men?" Krovix questioned as he stepped in the direction of the gunfire.

"We lost our only walker, and our servitors have been pinned down," Variksis reluctantly stated. He was disappointed he could not give better news.

"Without our servitors, we cannot survive," Krovix commented. "What of the humans and fellow vandals still fighting?"

"They're all putting up a valiant effort, sir. Unfortunately, we just don't have the numbers," Variksis explained.

Krovix lifted his head to the mountainside beyond. The enemy walkers on the cliffside were so numerous he could spot them from his position. "Then it's settled: we're evacuating."

"With all due respect, how?" Variksis asked. "Once we exit the city we will be on the open plains. We'll be sitting ducks out there."

"Then you and the others will go," Krovix replied, tilting his head back to the vandal. "Take the humans with. I will hold off the horde."

"But…" Variksis attempted to protest.

"But nothing!" Krovix roared. "You will do as your kell instructs you."

Variksis stared at his kell, his friend. The vandal's rifle fell to his side as he stared helplessly at the great being before him. "As you wish, sir," he eventually replied, his voice weak with emotion. Variksis then turned and vanished around the corner of a tattered building.

Krovix stared onward, his blades still. A smoke-filled breeze swept past him, allowing his cape to soar behind him. "Best not keep them waiting," he said. The kell then leaned forward, forcing his body to take a step. He stomped onward, a shock blade in each of his forehands. He continued his march for several blocks until the gunfire grew so close he could practically feel it. That was when he saw them. A pair of vandals leaped over a barricade of ruined cars, intent on claiming Krovix as their latest kill. The warriors rushed forward, shock blades in hand. They split off to the kell's sides, presuming that he could not focus on two angles at once. Their eyes glowed with evil intentions as they closed in on their opponent. Their blades were lifted, and they swung. In an instant, flesh was hacked away to reveal bone, and bone was hacked away to eviscerate. Krovix watched with amusement as the vandals fell to his sides, their lifeless bodies split in half. He then reached down and picked up an additional shock blade from each.

"Traitor!" an accusatory voice shouted.

Krovix lifted his head to see a captain stomping towards him. The captain wielded a pair of shock blades. "And who might you be, devil?" Krovix sneered.

"I am Carthix, Devil Baron. What sort of filth addresses me?" the captain stated. He stood a hair shorter than Krovix, and was missing the eyes on the left side of his face.

"The Kell of Dawn addresses you," Krovix replied.

Carthix began to chuckle. "No kell has ever been as puny as you." The baron then sprinted forward. His blades slid along the ground, carving their edges to sharper tools with each step. When he was in range, he thrusted his blades forward, meeting Krovix's. The force of collision forced his opposition back.

"Size does not make a kell," Krovix stated, his teeth clenched in anger. "Only their ferocity!" He then lifted his third blade over Carthix and plunged it into the side of his neck. The baron dipped in height ever so slightly. Krovix then drove his forth blade through Carthix's chest, causing blood to spill out onto the rubble they stood upon. With his final two swords he knocked Carthix's defensive blades to the side and jammed them into his stomach. Then, in one violent motion, he plucked all four swords from his opponent, allowing the body to plummet to the ground. Krovix was given no rest. The boiling heat of a shrapnel round warmed his face as it flew past him. The kell's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon an unwelcoming sight. Before him stood a sea of fallen, all wearing the banner of House Devils. Captains stood in front of the army, with vandals and dregs close behind. Several walkers were also in position. "So, this is how it ends?" Krovix questioned as he raised his swords, ready for his last battle.

The sound of a weapon being fired ignited the air. It was a distant sound, but appeared to be drawing closer. It was like that of a starship taking off. Krovix titled his head, and found the source of the disturbance: a rocket. The projectile crashed into the fallen horde, incinerating three captains along with their company of dregs. Both Krovix and the others turned their heads yet to another sound. The noise of animals vigorously slamming their feet into the ground seemed to be approaching. Beyond that, the sound of a hundred engines could be heard.

The next moment was a blur. Krovix spotted a guardian painted in red raising a mighty sword while on horseback. The guardian slammed into the devils, and hundreds joined him. Explosions shook the city as guardians flooded the streets. Though outnumbered, they had the element of surprise, and tore through the fallen lines.

"How?" Krovix asked, staring out at the carnage which laid before him. More fire ignited across the cityscape as sparrows crashed and blew sky-high. Several rockets splintered and cracked a devil walker as the guardians continued their push.

"Sorry to disappoint you," a human voice chuckled from behind Krovix. The kell whipped around to see a hunter coated in iron on his sparrow. "It would appear, however, that your death will have to come later," Parthix remarked.

Before Krovix could say anything, he heard the galloping of a horse approach. He looked over his shoulder and spotted the same guardian from earlier drawing near. "The others have been successfully evacuated," Brakson informed. "It's time to pull out before the enemy regroups." Both Krovix and Parthix nodded in agreement. Just as quickly as they came, the army of guardians disappeared over the hillside with their quarry.


	10. Chapter 9: Quest of Soul

The corridors of the ancient fortress hadn't changed. They were still covered in junk, and devoid of all life save one being. The hulking colossus was steadily pumping a thick liquid into his suit. With a satisfying click, the being finished and unhooked the pump from his armor. He then set the pump gently on the ground. It was nearly midday, and he felt the irresistible urge to eat. Ala Zan lumbered over to his rickety table where an enjoyable meal sat waiting for him. He was about to sit and partake of the food when a knife flew past his helmet into the wall behind him.

"Sup buddy," Tolcum said as he entered the chamber.

"Is this always how you greet others?" Zan questioned angrily.

"No, those I don't like die. You're still standing," the hunter pointed out as he approached the towering cabal.

"What do you want, human? From my understanding, we settled our debt," the cabal stated as he tilted his massive frame to gaze down at the significantly smaller man.

"Indeed, we did," Tolcum admitted. "But, as much as I regret saying it, I need your help again."

"With what?" Zan growled, clearly irritated.

"The Last City, the final home of my race, is under siege," Tolcum stated. "Few are willing to fight for it, and if we fail, our species fails."

"This hardly seems like something for me to get involved in," Zan scoffed as he began to turn away from the hunter.

"I'm not asking you to fight for us," Tolcum explained, attempting to regain the cabal's attention. "I just need some information, that's all."

Ala Zan turned back to the hunter. "What sort of information?"

"As I've come to understand, you race is no friend of the hive. While you strive for technological advancement, they sit in darkness praising and sacrificing to beings we both know are not truly gods," he explained.

"What's your point?" Zan asked, confused by the direction of the conversation.

"Because of these polar opposites between your races, I've come to understand that your kind has created quite a large database centered around the hive. Some of these files discuss topics such as their shrines of worship, correct?" Tolcum inquired.

Ala Zan's eyes grew large with worry. "What are you after, guardian?" he questioned, his voice hushed.

Tolcum's gaze fell to the ground. "Though they may try, my comrades are helplessly outnumbered against the fallen. It would seem we are destined to lose, unless something unprecedented occurs." His head then began to lift. He clenched his fists as he came to understand the true gravity of his decision. "I am that unprecedented thing. I can wield the Darkness, but I need more strength. I need a deeper connection to it now more than ever," he explained, his voice throbbing with power. "All I require of you is a location, and I'll be on my way."

"Your plan is to tame the Darkness?" Zan questioned.

"Or be consumed in the process," Tolcum admitted. "Either way, I'm out of options. Now, do you have a location?"

"In giving you a location, I'd be doing you another favor," Zan stated. "That means you will once again be in debt."

"Fine," Tolcum reluctantly acknowledged.

Ala Zan began to chuckle. "Very well, then." The cabal stomped away into a back room without saying another word. A minute later, he returned with a disk in hand. He lumbered over to Tolcum until he was a mere foot away. "There are many dark places we've located, such as the Temple of Crota. This, however, is by far the darkest we've ever seen," Zan stated before handing the disk to Tolcum. "The Shrine of Oryx."

"Many thanks, Valus," Tolcum said. He then slipped the item into his pocket and turned. He sprinted out of the chamber in a hurry; time was of the essence. His fellow guardians would be making their stand soon, and he had to be there when they did.

"What a curious human," Zan remarked as he turned back to his table. The food was surely cold by now.

The Hall of Guardians was crowded. Word had spread of Tolcum's tale, but more importantly, there was the issue of the Knights of Earth completely abandoning the Chamber of Steel. They had all left in the early morning, and the Vanguard was under a tremendous amount of pressure. Even Shaxx appeared to be sympathizing with Tolcum's forces.

Guardians of all classes were voicing their opinions when a peculiar sight forced them to silence. Through their ranks advanced a single soul. The guardian's maroon outfit was torn, but intact; the warlock's helmet had been scratched, but was still in one piece. All others made way for the clearly injured warrior as she pushed past, intent on seeing the heads of the Vanguard.

Ikora stared on in shock. "Iris…"

The warlock came to a halt in front of the most notorious guardians. Saladin, Shaxx, Zavala, and Ikora stood before her. "It's me," Iris nodded, unsure of what to say. She was happy to be alive.

"What happened to you, guardian?" Zavala asked.

"The Kell of Kings happened," Iris stated.

Shaxx looked away from the group, deep in thought. "So, Tolcum wasn't lying," he whispered to himself, almost in relief.

"You were with Tolcum?" Ikora asked, her eyebrows lifting.

"Yes, I was," Iris admitted. "We learned of an impending attack on the city, but I assumed he already told you this."

A sudden voice caught everyone off guard. "He did!" Cayde boomed from behind everyone. "But, as usual, the stubborn titans didn't listen."

"Silence, Cayde!" Saladin barked.

Still, Iris stared at the group in utter shock. "He told you everything, yet here you stand in indecision? What guardians are you to not defend your city?"

"That wasn't the problem," Zavala tried to argue in an attempt to defend his position. He would've brought up Tolcum's use of the Darkness had the room not filled once more with voices. Guardians were outraged, many suddenly deciding to stand with Tolcum.

"If it's proof you seek, then here!" Iris shouted above the cacophony of voices. Zoira materialized from thin air and stared out at the group. Her eye flashed bright blue, and a holographic map was emitted.

The guardians were transfixed on the enemy positions, horrified by the numbers being projected. "Everything he said was true…" Zavala muttered.

"For the record, I want to say that I always believed him," Cayde remarked with glee.

The room was growing increasingly crowded with voices when the Iron Lord finally spoke up. "Silence!" he shouted. The room immediately grew quiet. "This was admittedly a major oversight by the Vanguard to not have realized the truth behind Tolcum's words. However, there is nothing that can be done about the past. Instead, we must look to the future," he stated. "Go, all of you! Rally the troops, for we have a city to defend," he instructed. All those in the room besides the commanders and Iris evacuated with haste. Saladin then turned to his most trusted comrade. "Shaxx, bring the frames online. Whether old or new, we'll need them all for this fight," he said.

"Of course, sir," Shaxx replied with a slight bow. He then vacated the room to complete his task.

"Even with our legions, we'll be stretched thin across the city borders," Zavala remarked as he observed Zoira's map.

"We'll need to be very strategic about our targets," Saladin stated as he approached the group. "The fallen first have to reach the city, and travelling over the mountains can be quite treacherous. We have several forts within the mountain passes that will provide excellent locations for us to dig in and defend," he pointed out. "I will oversee the defense of Twilight Gap. I want the rest of you taking up positions along other key locations around the city. Even you, Cayde," he said, purposefully tilting his head to the charismatic hunter.

"Understood," Zavala replied. With that being said, he and the others exited the room. The only two left were Saladin and Iris.

"What of me, sir?" Iris asked.

"You, young wolf?" Saladin questioned. "You will join Shaxx. I trust he will have some use for you."

The warlock acknowledged her orders, then left in a hurry. Saladin stood in the middle of the hall, alone. The moment was almost peaceful, though his stomach turned unsteadily as he felt the anxious anxiety of war taking hold. He looked out the hall's large windows to the view beyond. Smoke was rising through the sky in the distance, and he began to fear that they were too late.


	11. Chapter 10: Battle of Vespir Hill

The hillside was extremely rocky. Why the main force of Devils chose Vespir Hill to cross, Brakson would never know. His best guess was that they were attempting to mask their approach to the city through the treacherous pass.

"Still no sign of them," Parthix grumbled.

"Patience, comrade," Brakson urged. His gaze was glued to the distant slopes from which the fallen would have to climb. The titan stood upon the rocks of the hill, his trusty sword held firmly within his right hand. Crown Splitter was certainly a marvel blade for its time.

The familiar thudding of a hulking eliksni forced the pair of guardians to turn. "Are we prepared, guardians?" Krovix asked as he approached.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Parthix replied with a shrug. The other guardians, fallen, and humans were hunkered down between the rocks and boulders. They were dug in as best they could.

"Your civilians need not stay here if they wish," Brakson reminded the Kell of Dawn.

"We already told them," another fallen spoke up. Variksis approached with his shock rifle in hand. "Those people have lived with us since the beginning. Though several with families left, the rest like Revels are staying for the long run."

"Very well," Brakson relinquished.

"With all these groups together, I'd say that brings our marvelous total to a staggering five hundred," Parthix exclaimed sarcastically.

"Don't try and do the math," Krovix hissed. "It'll only make our predicament more hopeless."

It was then that Variksis glanced off into the distance. "Well, speak of the devil," he lightly snickered as a way to cover up his fear. He lifted a finger to where the grass met the sky, and there they saw it.

A single captain marched over the distant hill, its cape flowing gently in the breeze. The captain held no weapon, instead baring the banner of House Devils within its hands. It stomped onward, only halting once it had reached the end of the rocky platform it stood upon. Once there, it let out a terrifying roar as it slammed the base of its banner into the stone. Its piercing eyes communicated hatred as it stared up at the guardians. The world around them began to shake, and suddenly a thousand howls called out. The roaring of machines drew closer, and the true nature of the battle soon unraveled itself. Behind the captain came the Kell of Devils, Solkis, and with him a hundred thousand fallen. The captains led the horde, followed by thousands of vandals and thousands more dregs. Devil walkers were also in the mix, being spread throughout the army.

Brakson stared at the chanting horde, his gaze narrowing as he calmed his nerves. Slowly, he raised his sword. "Parthix, send them a message for me."

"Will do," Parthix laughed as he brought a shiny orange sniper from his back to his hands. He raised it the enemy, and carefully adjusted for the numerous factors that would affect his bullet's trajectory. Due to him being a natural sniper, the adjustment took a mere second before he fired. The round rocketed across the grassy field between the forces, and caused the flag-bearer's head to erupt in smoke and blood.

The kell roared a vicious order to his army before vanishing within their ranks, and a battalion of soldiers broke away from the horde, leaping from their place on the rocky platform to charge toward the enemy. Devil walkers lowered their metal bodies to the ground and fired, igniting destruction across the region.

Brakson and his comrades leaped into the rocks below their perch. "Remember what we discussed, men!" he shouted to those hunkered down. "Hunters, get to work."

Parthix dropped to the ground beside his fellow hunters and appropriately aligned his sniper. Bam! A flurry of sniper rounds were sent flying into the air, cracking the skulls of a dozen oncoming fallen. More bullets exited their chambers, and soon fifty eliksni were lying dead in the space between the armies. Parthix was almost enjoying himself when he caught sight of a devil walker targeting them. He rolled to the side as an explosive shell splattered half his comrades against the rocks in a fiery display of chaos. "Half my crew's down!" Parthix called out as he ran to his secondary position alongside Brakson.

"Krovix, get the advanced team in position," Brakson barked. He weaved between the rocks as cannon shells flew overhead.

"At least they only sent a battalion forward," Parthix commented as he followed behind his commander.

"Still, that's about a thousand eliksni warriors we'll have to hold off," Brakson replied.

"I can handle about a hundred," Parthix snickered as the pair came to a halt near a cluster of titans.

Krovix advanced to where the rocky formations ended and took a brief moment to gaze out at the oncoming enemy; a devil walker was stomping forward with the fallen garrison. The Kell of Dawn stood proudly before the enemy, allowing all of them to gaze upon his darkened figure. Then, he raised a sword. A slew of bullets followed, and flew past the kell towards the enemy. Bolts of energy along with kinetic rounds tore through the dregs that had surged to the front of their formation. Guardians and fallen alike stood beside their kell, firing at to the devils below. House Devils returned fire as they charged, knocking a titan to the ground and dropping several vandals. As they drew near, it became clear that they held the immediate advantage. Eight hundred strong, they easily outnumbered Krovix's frontline force. When they drew even closer, Krovix gave the order. "Retreat!" he shouted as he turned to head deeper within the rock formation.

The enemy followed, hungry to kill. Devil captains unsheathed their shock blades as they entered the maze of stone, intent on hunting down their foes. Gunfire consumed the region as the fallen garrison divided into various sections of the rocky paths. Guardians and allied fallen laid in wait for them, opening fire as they came. Still, the fight was relatively even. Guardians were felled, and several had their ghosts destroyed during the process of revival. Through the fight, several captains charged onward after Krovix. They chased him until he became cornered, his back against a boulder. The captains hissed insults as they lifted their swords to him.

The Kell of Dawn simply smirked. "Now!" he ordered. Humans leaped from the boulder overhead, crashing down on the captains. Revels lowered his spear as he came down, jamming its blade through a captain's eye. Krovix leaped forward, severing another captain's head in a single move.

Slowly, the combined force of humans and fallen pushed the enemy back, breaking their lines. When the devils appeared to be losing all sense of order, Brakson and his men charged forth from their hidden path. He thrusted his sword forward, impaling a vandal. In a flurry of swift motions, he tore through an entire squad of dregs before breaking for the clearing in the enemy's ranks. Following close behind was Parthix and a group of a dozen titans. Rifles rang out as the guardians covered their leaders advance. From outside the rocky formations in which the battle took place, the devil walker opened fire. Stone was sent flying into the colliding armies, crushing a guardian as well as several of Krovix's humans. The walker continued to fire, and forty more warriors fell to its cannon before Brakson finally reached it.

"Bring it down!" the titan shouted as he raised his sword. Behind him, three titans revealed a weapon that had once been considered illegal. With blue markings and bolts of lightning coursing over its surface, the Thunderlord was a feared weapon. The titans fired, and watched as bolts of energy tore through the devil walker's outer plating.

"Hit it with everything you got," Parthix remarked as he slid under a stream of laser bolts fired from the walker's nose repeater.

The walker cut down five of the titans as they approached, but still the others fired. The Thunderlord did its job, and soon the legs were completely exposed. Brakson leaped forward, swinging Crown Splitter horizontally as he came. Crack! He continued onward, slicing through the legs on the walker's right side. With a confirming explosion, the vehicle was effectively put out of commission. Brakson then turned back to his comrades. Only Parthix and three of his titans were still standing. He then looked to the rock formation, and saw Krovix step triumphantly from the shadows. He held in his hand the head of a captain, and lifted it high above his own for all to see.

In the distance, Brakson could make out the hulking figure of Solkis, and the kell was most certainly displeased. With the wave of a hand, the walkers within the enemy formation began to reposition. "Back to your positions, everyone!" Brakson called out as he rejoined the army.

"Only gotta do that a thousand more times," Parthix remarked as he followed.

"We need to reassess our situation. I fear the enemy has some surprises in store for us," Brakson stated. With that, the defenders of the Last City disappeared once more amongst the rocks.

Tolcum plucked the knife from the thrall's skull as he dropped the corpse to the ground. He lifted his revolver and fired, quickly executing a pair of acolytes. "Polaris, seal that bloody door!" he shouted as he ran cover. Three knights were closing in on him, two with boomers and one a cleaver.

"I'm trying!" Polaris called out. "I'm so used to opening doors that shutting one has suddenly become a rather tricky process."

Arriving on Luna was easy enough, as well as sneaking through the many levels of the Hellmouth. However, when Tolcum entered the shrine, he knew he'd have to clear out the enemies within. He pounded three rounds into a knight skull, sending its lifeless body crashing to the ground; the creature shattered on impact. He leaped over an explosive bolt of energy and unsheathed a pair of knives. He quickly reversed them in his hands, holding them backwards as he tore through the throat of the second knight. He narrowly slid past the third's deadly cleaver as it attempted to split him in half. Tolcum then swiftly planted his feet onto the ground, and sprang forth towards the knight. With a decisive swing from his arms, the creature was severed at the waist.

"Door's shut," Polaris cheerfully stated as he soared back to his guardian.

Tolcum sheathed his knives and he looked around the chamber. It was rather satisfying to not see a living thing around. "So, this the holy Shrine of Oryx?" he questioned rhetorically.

Polaris looked nervously to the massive orb at the room's center. "I believe that is what you must enter," he stated hesitantly. "Where you go, I cannot follow."

Tolcum stared inquisitively at the orb. "Of course." The thoughts of failure suddenly reentered his mind. His ghost may never see him return, but still he had to try. Slowly, the guardian turned back to his ghost. "Polaris, if I don't make it back…"

"Have you forgotten who you are?" Polaris asked. "Have you forgotten all that you have accomplished? No guardian has ever been able to connect with the Darkness, mainly due to fear. Despite said fear, you took a leap of faith and tamed that power. Now, you wield it as a weapon, and I believe you can do much more," he stated, his voice shaking with emotion. "You're the Tolcum who annihilated an entire firebase of cabal. You're the Tolcum who eliminated Rudaka, The Hive Prophet. You're the Tolcum who brought hope to the Knights of Earth. I have faith that you will conquer this challenge as you have all others," Polaris stated as he perked up.

"If only faith could help me," Tolcum muttered.

"Sometimes faith is all we have, but we've survived with less," Polaris replied. "Now go, and do the impossible. Claim a god."

With a gentle nod, Tolcum stepped away from his ghost and turned to the orb, gazing upon it for a moment more. To the naked eye, it appeared to be solid; but hunter knew better by now. _Alright Darkness, I hope you're ready; because I'm coming to take you._ Tolcum sprinted forward, and leaped high into the air. He touched the orb with his chest, and immediately fell into the swirling vortex.


	12. Chapter 11: Trial of Gods

There was no feeling in his body. The numbness brought on by the whirlwind persisted, and there was nothing to see beyond a black void. Tolcum's limbs were sprawled out as he continued to spin. The guardian fought with all his might to resist the storm that had taken hold, but still he spiraled out of control. He screamed in agony as what felt like knives pierced his chest. Slowly, he regained control of his limbs, and dragged them close to his body. The swirling wind began to expand, and to his joy dropped him into its eye. The guardian crashed onto the smooth surface; the ground was almost soft. Still, the storm encompassed his location, and all around he could see what appeared to be a black forest.

"Why have you come?!" a monstrous voice questioned, forcing Tolcum to his knees. The voice seemed to have layers, with one being deep as the other hissed.

Tolcum was sweating, and cold. His weapons were gone from him, not welcome within the realm he currently resided. "I have come… to seek power," he said between gasps of air.

"That, I can show you," the voice began to laugh. Gradually, a shadowy substance materialized at the other end of the storm's eye. Blinding white liquid mixed with the shadowy fog, and substances began to shift and morph. The Darkness eventually finalized its shape, revealing a behemoth-sized creature which gently flapped its wings above Tolcum's position. The being contained three glowing eyes, and it was then that Tolcum realized what he was seeing.

"I take it… you're Oryx," Tolcum hypothesized. The immense influence of Darkness within the realm was compressing his chest, making it immensely difficult to breathe.

"In the flesh, no, but an echo of immense power, to be sure," the being stated. "Tell me, Warrior of Light, why do you seek the Darkness?"

"I need its strength," Tolcum replied. Pain encompassed his body, and it only aggravated him how calm the Echo of Oryx was.

"Then come, child. Take my hand, and you will know true strength," the echo said. It then outstretched its arm to Tolcum. After seeing the man's hesitation, the echo persisted. "Come. To be taken by a god is a true blessing."

Tolcum gritted his teeth in agony as the Darkness continued to squeeze. Voices screamed in his ears, and the feeling of utter numbness returned. "No," he growled. "I am not here to be taken, but to take," he stated, fighting against the unseen forces with all his might. Gradually, he rose to his feet. "You are no god, and you will serve me," he uttered. Through the mist of Darkness, another energy emerged. Purple streams of liquid-like energy surged forward to engulf the guardian. The power of the void refreshed and relieved Tolcum of his agony. A pair of violet swords fell into his hands, and he raised them to the echo in defiance.

The echo scoffed. "You dare defy me in my own realm?" it questioned. With a snapped of its fingers, taken knights stepped through the raging storm into Tolcum's line of sight.

The guardian released his swords, willing them to strike his opponents. The blades did as commanded, and each imbedded itself within a knight's chest. The other monstrosities stormed forward with weapons in hand. Boomers were fired, but not a shot befell the guardian. Swirling around him were a dozen pristine swords, all glowing violet. He quickly outstretched his arms, and watched as the blades cut down the knights. He was ready to smile when the stomping of feet from behind caused him to recoil; he had missed one. He leaped into the air, backflipping over the oncoming knight which would've surely split him in two if he had not moved. He slammed his feet back onto the ground, another sword in his hands. He then leaped forward and thrusted the blade into its back. Tolcum pulled the weapon from the creature's back, and watched it toppled to the ground, dissipating into thin air once it touched down. The hunter then raised the sword to Oryx's echo. "You will obey me," he stated.

"I think not," the echo replied as it lowered its right arm. A thick chain of Darkness snagged Tolcum's right arm, forcing him to drop his sword. The chain then reeled back into the storm, bringing Tolcum down on one knee. The echo then lowered its left arm, and another chain grabbed Tolcum's left arm. The hunter was forcedly brought to his knees, his back hunched over. "I will take your soul, and I will take your Light," the echo stated with authority.

The fallen army charged forward, all at once. Nearly a hundred thousand eliksni rushed for the hill where Brakson's forces remained. The fallen opened fire with their arsenal of firearms. Sniper fire was exchanged as Parthix and his hunters retaliated. Still, the army surged forward. Those that died were simply lost beneath the mob. Gunfire continued to ring out as guardians, fallen, and humans gave it their all from within the confined rock formations.

"Their vanguard is going to reach us!" Parthix shouted as he continued to pull the trigger of his sniper.

A small group of devils broke away from the main force and reached the rocks. Krovix met them with four sharpened blades, shredding a trio of dregs that attempted to attack. Unbeknownst to him, a vandal had approached from his flank. The enemy swiftly struck a blow to his left thigh. Krovix spun around with his swords, but the vandal lowered is body beneath the blades. It was about to strike another blow when a spear pierced its chest.

Revels forcedly removed his weapon from the vandal and nodded to Krovix. "Stay up, my kell. We still have need for you," he remarked with a smile. He turned his head to the forefront of the fighting, when he saw a devil walker fire. A moment later, he was hidden beneath a heap of smoke and blood.

"Push them back!" Variksis hissed as he lifted his rifle to fire. He blew away an advancing captain, then dashed to his kell's side.

"Hold the line!" Brakson ordered as he cut through a pair of vandals. A titan unleashed bolts of lightning with his Thunderlord, finishing off the last of the fallen vanguard. To Brakson's horror, another walker fired and effectively ended the life of the titan along with the group of warriors around him. The guardians reformed their lines, readying for the next wave of fallen to strike.

Suddenly, the fallen advance ceased. Though many continued to fire upon the hill, their onward approach came to a halt. That was also when Solkis made his reappearance. He lifted an arm, and pointed it to the hill. The devil walkers began to reposition.

"What are they doing?" Parthix questioned as he joined Brakson.

"Preparing to finish us," Krovix stated, his voice lacking all emotion. He was plain in his point.

When the devils had finished repositioning, their army of warriors stood behind nearly fifty of their walkers. Solkis hissed savagely as he prepared for his next order. Captains flanked his position with their crews.

"Well, it's been an honor," Parthix said. "Unfortunately, they're about to grind us to a pulp with those walkers."

"It's not over yet," Brakson stated, his eyes locked onto the enemy lines. "Though I hoped not to resort to it, I have one last idea."

"Whatever we do, it'll be suicidal; so, by all means, explain away your marvelous idea," Parthix replied.

Brakson gave a light chuckle. "Well, first I need Cornelius."

Solkis witnessed the humans and the House of Dawn retreat deeper into the rocky formations above. Regardless of where they went, the kell knew his walkers would make short work of the enemy. He gave the signal, and watched as fifty walkers pounded shells into the stony hill. Round upon round slammed into the stone, shredding through and forming craters in the ground. So many explosives were emitted that a wall of smoke formed along the hillside. Still, the walkers fired, practically liquifying the stone as they grinded the earth to a pulp. After several minutes of unleashing hell, Solkis gave the signal to cease fire. He waited patiently for the smoke to clear; some of the stony regions had somehow survived. Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate, and out came red.

Brakson broke through the cloud of smoke like a man breaking a wooden board. He charged forward upon his trusty horse's back. "Charge!" he roared, carrying on the cry until his throat went sore. Through the smoke came Parthix on his sparrow, and a hundred more warriors upon both horses and sparrows alike. Krovix and his remaining fallen sprinted down the hillside on all fours; they were truly animals of war. Solkis shouted an order in eliksni, and the walkers resumed fire. Brakson narrowly veered away from a shell, feeling the rubble of stone brush against his helmet as he swerved between the rocks. When he had cleared what remained of the rocky formations, he made a beeline for the fallen ranks. Gunfire once again consumed the region, and several of his men were picked off. Still, he continued onward; there was nothing else to be done. Soon, what remained of his army formed up alongside him. The last hundred warriors charged the enemy as one.

"You're crazy, Brakson, and I sadly love it!" Parthix yelled as he raised his automatic rifle. He unloaded his clip as he accelerated forward. The defenders of the Last City formed an arrow-like formation as they charged, with Brakson at the front.

"For the city!" Brakson shouted as he raised Crown Splitter. Three seconds later, he was almost upon the enemy. He brought the weapon down, and blood splattered across his helmet. The warriors crashed into the enemy line, and did not stop. Brakson cut through a dozen enemies before being knocked off his horse from an explosion, and during his fall, he dropped his weapon. The titan attempted to reach for the sword when a captain stepped on his hand, slowly crushing it beneath its weight. The fallen raised a shock blade to impale the guardian when a sword tore through its chest. Krovix dropped the body to the ground and threw one of his swords into a nearby vandal's skull. Brakson then rose to his feet, and reclaimed his sword. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Krovix replied. "We're all going to die anyways."

"Then I'm honored it'll be beside you," Brakson stated. The warriors stood back to back as they lifted their swords to the encroaching enemy.

The echo dropped to the ground, and approached. The constricting pressure of the Darkness returned to Tolcum in full force, rendering him almost completely motionless. The echo reached out as it drew near, ready to transform Tolcum.

The guardian sat helpless, feeling the Light from his body fleeing. He was broken, more so than when he lost Saris. He felt the tug of the echo on his heart, and felt himself being pulled apart. His memories were rushing before his eyes like some sick dream; the echo was erasing him, the real him. Voices pierced his ears, urging him to give in.

"Resistance is futile. Join with the Worm and all shall be made right," they spoke.

In that moment, when everything appeared to be tearing him apart, ripping away his identity, he began to cry. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell like a flood. He was suffocating from the constricting pressure around him, but still the tears came. "I failed you… Polaris," he wept. "I failed Saris, I failed Iris. I failed my fireteam, and I failed the Vanguard. I failed the Knights of Earth, who are surely dying as I speak. But… above all, I failed myself," he said.

"It's over," the echo spoke as it drew closer. Light slowly drained from Tolcum's body and fell into the echo's grasp.

Tolcum lifted his head to the bleak sky; it appeared to be almost twilight within the realm. His thoughts were fading, when he remembered Polaris's words. How many had counted on him to succeed, and how many had died believing he'd succeed? That was when, in his fading memory, he remembered who he was. "Traveler, I deceived you. I am no longer wholly bound to the Light, but I don't need to be in order to do good," he suddenly spoke. He gasped for a final breath of air as his very soul was dragged out of his body. "Please, in my final moments, lend me your aid…" he pleaded. He felt his heart skip a beat, and no more oxygen entered his body. His mind faded to black, when a wave of energy fell upon his body. Light in the purest state wrapped itself around him, allowing him to once again breathe. His eyes were once again alight with life. His soul snapped back into place as the echo staggered back in bewilderment. His Light had returned, as well as the Darkness he had once wielded. "Have you failed to understand who who've crossed?!" Tolcum questioned. He violently lifted his arms, snapping the chains that had once restrained him. His left arm was coated in Darkness as the storm around him fell apart and surged towards his body. A brilliant display of light and dark coated his body as he stared out at the Echo of Oryx. "I am Tolcum, Guardian of Darkness, Defender of the Light, and your power is mine!" he shouted. A bow formed in his hands, and he pulled back on the string. Six arrows were embedded in the string: three of Light, and three of Darkness. Tolcum then let the string fly free, and watched as the arrows slammed into the echo. The arrows pierced the echo's surface, and erupted from within. Tolcum sprinted forward, his right fist drowned in hues of purple, white, and black. He rose into the air and swung, nailing the echo in its face. The being crashed to the ground, and the hunter triumphantly stomped over to it. "You will obey me!" Tolcum demanded as he grabbed hold of the echo's skull.

"The Darkness will consume you in time. Do you accept this truth?" the echo asked.

"I do," Tolcum growled.

"Very well," the echo replied. It then splintered into a million pieces, and pierced Tolcum's soul. Every last ounce of Darkness within the Realm caved in on the hunter, consuming him in shadow.

From the orb's exterior, Polaris watched as explosions shook the object. He grew ever more concerned with each consecutive scream and clash of a blade. Then, he saw his partner emerged.

Drenched in black and white energy, the hunter stepped heroically forward. "Come, Polaris. Let's save our friends."


	13. Chapter 12: Savior of Ruin

The few men still alive made their last stand on a small hill that jutted up a few inches from the ground. Brakson and Krovix were close beside one another, carving through enemy fighters as a sculptor would clay.

"Get off my blade, wretch," Parthix stammered as he yanked his knife free of a dreg's skull. His rifle went off as he backed up to his comrades. Variksis narrowly dodged a bolt of energy as he leaped to his kell's side. Only about forty warriors were left, and waves of energy bolts were effectively cutting them down.

"Fight to the last man!" Brakson urged as he tore open a captain. It was then that he spotted a vandal targeting Krovix, and moved to save the kell's life. He shoved Krovix out of the way just as the bolt hit. That was when he felt a strange surge of pain. He looked down to the throbbing sensation in his side and realized he was staring at a gaping wound in his stomach. He put a hand to the wound in disbelief when another shot nailed him in the right shoulder. He spiraled to the ground in a daze. His ghost materialized to give aid, when a stray round shattered it.

"Brakson!" Parthix roared. He fired his weapon furiously, cutting down a dozen fallen as he rushed to his leader. "Protect your commander!" he called out to the remaining guardians. He was soon beside his friend. Parthix looked to his surroundings and found that they were completely surrounded by fallen, hundreds of which had their weapons trained on them. _So, this is it?_ Parthix raised both his rifle and knife, ready for one last kill. The remaining warriors, now numbering about thirty, stood close together. This was where it was going to end, when the distant roar of engines caught the group's ears.

Standing atop his regulus class fighter, Tolcum spotted the last of his comrades. Hundreds were already dead, but it wasn't over. "Remember our deal, you monster. You gave yourself up to me, and now you will help me," he said as he stared onward in hatred. The hunter suddenly hunched over, bringing his arms in as if contracting stomach pains. Then, in a single violent motion, he bent backwards with his arms spread out. He let out a roar of pain as Oryx made himself known to the world. A massive figure soaring high above the ground, coating in flowing, liquid-like Darkness stared out at the battlefield. The echo's legs were not present, as he was only an extension of Tolcum's physical form. The echo was nearly fifty feet in height, and held Oryx's prized sword, Willbreaker. Tolcum looked to the fallen horde once more before giving his order. "Kill," he firmly demanded. The echo nodded its massive head, then reeled its arm back. The beast let out a roar that could be heard for miles, sending chills down the spines of all who heard except for Tolcum. It then chucked Willbreaker towards the fallen army in one swift move. The massive sword was so immense in size that it practically blotted out the sun as it fell. The fallen horde stared up in horror, resigned to their fate as the mighty weapon slammed into the earth.

The ground shook as shadow spread across the battlefield, engulfing the plains in a thick fog. Half of House Devils was destroyed in the explosion, and chaos reigned amongst their ranks as troops scurried out of the mist in fear. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, a guardian starship crashed into their line of walkers, tearing through three and sending chunks of metal flying across the grassland.

"Well, speak of the devil," Parthix snickered as he watched Tolcum land on the grass in front of him. The Echo of Oryx was gone.

"Is this truly all that's left?" Tolcum asked sympathetically. He looked to the small band of guardians and fallen, hurt by how late he was.

"Better later than never, buddy," Parthix replied with a light smile beneath his helmet.

Tolcum was about to say more when his eyes fell upon Brakson. He dropped to his friend's side, longing to save the weak titan. "No, Brakson…"

"He's not dead, but he will be if we don't get out of here," Parthix stated.

"Where's the nearest place we could go for medical treatment?" Tolcum asked.

"The fort of Twilight Gap is the closest place. Lord Saladin was supposed to be holed up there, but last I heard, they were pushed back by the House of Kings," Parthix reported.

"Wait, the others actually joined the fight?" Tolcum questioned.

His fellow hunter gave a gentle nod. "It would seem someone back at the Tower convinced them to change their minds."

Tolcum's first thought was of Cayde, but he quickly turned his attention back to the present situation. "Even if it's overrun, we'll have to risk it."

"How are we going to escape with them?" Parthix questioned as he pointed to the regrouping devils. Captains were leading the remaining eliksni with vandals and dregs close behind.

Krovix stepped forward. "Parthix, you will go. Get Brakson the medical care he needs. My men and I shall remain."

"That's a one-way mission, and you know it," Parthix replied.

"It was always a one-way mission," Krovix hissed. "Time is running out, hunter. I'd suggest you run before it's too late."

Without another word, Parthix lifted Brakson onto the back of Cornelius, and hopped onto his sparrow. The other guardians gathered their modes of transportation and waited for Parthix to give the signal. Before leaving, the hunter gave one final look to the Kell of Dawn. "Thanks, fallen."

"Always so emotional, you humans," Krovix shook his head in disgust. "Now go!"

The guardians accelerated in the opposite direction, headed back to Vespir Hill. Tolcum had Polaris unveil his sparrow, but decided against immediately hopping on. Instead, he turned to the House of Dawn. "I can't have you all making this last stand alone," he smirked. It was then that he opened his communications channel. "Dogma, initiate protocol 6."

A sudden pounding noise emitted from Tolcum's crashed ship. The racket continued until a fist punctured the roof of the vehicle. The arm slithered back into the ship, and for a moment the vehicle remained motionless. Then, in an explosive move, Dogma 99-40 tore through the ship's roof. In each hand he held an old Marshal-A1 auto rifle. "Kill, kill, kill!" the frame uttered as it opened fire on the fallen horde. Two dozen bullets pierced the air, slamming into various foes.

"Take care, kell," Tolcum said to Krovix before hopping onto his sparrow. With a boost of his thrusters, the vehicle accelerated away from House Dawn. In less than a minute, he disappeared over Vespir Hill with the other guardians.

"So, how does it feel to be the last Kell of Dawn?" Variksis solemnly asked.

"It is a title I wish I was not forced to wear, but nevertheless shall immortalize me in history," Krovix replied as he watched the oncoming enemy. After vanquishing nearly two dozen fallen, Dogma succumbed to the shrapnel rounds that tore open his metal body.

"We're beside you to the very end, Krovix," Variksis assured his kell. Ten other members of House Dawn stood beside the pair, their weapons raised.

"Charge!" Krovix ordered as he sprinted forward. He held four shock blades, and lifted them to the enemy as he approached. Swish! He thrusted the blades into four vandals, then swung them furiously as he continued to hack away at the overwhelming enemy. Variksis and his fellow vandals fired away with their shock rifles. The region lit up once more as its final battle began. One by one, Krovix's vandals were gunned down, but still he pressed onward; he could see the silhouette of Solkis through the haze. He cut through a captain, then a vandal, and a dreg. Bodies began to pile up around the kell as his blades did their work. However, though he was brutally efficient, he was surrounded. A captain raised his shrapnel launcher to strike a fatal blow, when a bolt of energy cracked open his skull. Variksis dashed over to Krovix, his rifle still firing. The pair stood together, fighting side by side for half a minute before a stray round tore through Variksis's chest, toppling the once mighty warrior. Krovix stood alone, against a sea of enemies; still his swords swung. He cut down so many fallen that his swords eventually broke from overuse. He simply found fresh blades from the corpses of his enemies and continued to fight. Another minute passed before an enemy captain finally got a lucky shot off. A shrapnel round cut into Krovix's left shoulder, causing him to stagger backward. Unfortunately for the kell, he fell right into the blade of another captain. Swiftly reversing the swords in his hands, he jammed the blades into the captain and jerked away from the weapon that had impaled him. A dreg then leaped onto his side, and he hastily cut open the enemy. Then another latched on, and another. The House of Devils swarmed the kell, forcedly grabbing on and tearing into flesh. Krovix let out a final roar of power as he thrusted his blades forward for the last time. He died with enemies attached to the ends of his swords.

It took half an hour to reach the fort, but nonetheless they made it. Though tired and weak, the guardians entered Twilight Gap, and were shocked by what they found. The corpses of fellow guardians and fallen from House Kings littered the area.

"There's not a living soul to be seen," Parthix commented.

"The House of Kings must've moved on. That only makes our job easier," Tolcum hypothesized. "Parthix, see if you can get the fort's transmitter up and running. We need to relay a distress signal for reinforcements," the hunter instructed. "I'll get Brakson to the infirmary."

"Understood," Parthix replied with a nod. He then sprinted off in the direction of the fort's transmitter.

Tolcum turned to Brakson's still-beating body on the back of Cornelius. He gently pulled the titan off the animal and carried him to the fort's infirmary. It was a rather lengthy walk due to their slow pace. "Hang in here, Brakson," he said as they finally entered the infirmary.

"Tolcum… defend the city," the titan replied in a hushed voice.

"No, not yet. Don't you give in yet," Tolcum urged as he set Brakson down on a nearby table. "I'll find something to patch you up." The hunter turned, and to his disappointment found that most of the medical supplies had been raided. All he could find were some bandages, which he used to seal up Brakson's wounds. "Just stay alive, friend."

Brakson began to chuckle. "It's not everyday you address others as friends." The titan then closed his eyes, and laid back on the table.

"No, stay with me!" Tolcum pleaded as he put his head to the titan's chest.

"I just… need to rest," Brakson replied. He was still breathing, but at a slower rate than normal.

"We're going to get out of this. I promise," Tolcum stated, his teeth clenched. _Don't die on me; not like Saris, not like Iris._ His moment of sorrow was ripped away when Parthix came calling.

"They're coming!" the hunter shouted as he made a mad dash for the infirmary.

"Who's coming?" Tolcum asked as he stepped into the open air.

"The House of Kings," Parthix stated.

"What?!" Tolcum questioned, angry that death was approaching them.

"They must've found out that there were survivors from Vespir Hill. They're on their way to finish us," Parthix explained as he came to a stop in front of his comrade.

"Trapped between devils and kings, huh?" Tolcum asked rhetorically. Though he knew they would inevitably die, he was unsure whether to cry out of joy for death or out of fear for it. He looked to the other remaining guardians. They numbered only twelve, and were all titans. "Prepare yourselves men. Soon we'll dine in hell," Tolcum stated. Then he heard a growl, and knew the end was near.

At the edge of the fort came an army coated in yellow; it was the kings, and overhead soared a creature thought to be long extinct: an ahamkara. The beast was dragon-like in appearance, and gently landed atop the structures of Twilight Gap. Off the creature's back came another being: the Kell of Kings. The oversized fallen looked down upon the small group of guardians with an expression reminiscent of pity. Then he gave the order, and his army marched forward.

From behind, Tolcum heard the remainder of House Devils charging in to claim the glory. He raised his arms, a black bow within his grasp. A slight chill befell his body as two dozen shadow copies of himself split off. They too held black bows. _If I must die, I'll take the lot of you with me._

The line of frames pounded away at the House of Winter. Shaxx watched as the fallen were routed and fled back into the icy regions of the mountainside. "That should do it," he remarked triumphantly. He then turned to rejoin the bulk of his guardians when Iris approached.

"Lord Shaxx, we just received a distress signal from the Twilight Gap," the warlock reported.

"It has to be a trick. Lord Saladin was forced to retreat," Shaxx replied.

"The signal was from a human, and he identified himself as Parthix Izunias," Iris stated.

Shaxx lowered his head. "The Knights of Earth," he said in a hushed tone. The titan then violently shook his head. "No, no, no. We have our orders. We are to stay here and hold the line," he explained.

"The fallen have been routed, sir," Iris argued. "There's nothing more to do here. Those guardians, my friends, are in danger. There can't possibly be many of them left, and if we do nothing they are all going to die!" she stated, practically shouting.

"We have our orders…" Shaxx mumbled.

"Orders from Saladin, a coward who chose to run when the fallen appeared to be gaining the upper hand. He allowed them to take Twilight Gap the first time, and they'll break through his lines again unless we take matters into our own hands," Iris replied.

The great titan stood still as the gentle wind blew past. His mind was uncertain of how to react, but if there was one thing he could not stomach, it was the thought of more guardians dying. Slowly, he lifted his head. "Those warriors were the first to take up arms for the city, and we cannot let them suffer for our mistakes." He then stomped down to his army. "Guardians, heed my words! We have achieved great success on this front, but others have not been so fortunate. The Knights of Earth who first chose to stand up for our people are holed up in a desperate defense against the fallen at the Twilight Gap, and it is our duty as guardians to help them," he explained.

"Slag that!" a hunter called out. "Lord Saladin gave us direct orders to hold the line here, and only here."

"If you were alone, surrounded by countless foes, would you not seek aid?" Shaxx asked. "The enemy has been routed, and there is nothing more for us to do here aside from twiddle our thumbs as others die." The hulking titan looked to the masses. "For those of you believing we should stay, how can you sit idly by as others fight your battles? How can you stand by as good people, who have only wished to do right by the city, fight and die to monsters you could very well stop? If they were civilians, surely you would aid them. But no, once they have a weapon in their hands suddenly they are beyond helping, is that it? Saladin may have given us orders, but our orders above all other orders are to aid those in need," Shaxx stated, his posture intimidating. "I ask you all now, as brothers and sisters, who will stand with me?!" he said.

Silence followed. No one dared to speak, until Iris did. "I stand by Lord Shaxx so that lives may be saved, so that my friends may be saved."

"I stand with Lord Shaxx," a noble titan known as Holborn said. He stepped forward with his notorious crew, and urged others to join.

"I too am with Shaxx," a fiery hunter, known to most as Ana Bray stated. One by one, others stepped forward. Soon, hundreds of guardians were standing before Shaxx, weapons in hand. Only about a hundred stayed back.

"Those who wish to remain shall," Shaxx said. "For all others, take to your sparrows. We ride for Twilight Gap, now!" The titan then turned to his most trusted machine. "Arcite, gather the frames. We're on the move."

Arrows of Darkness ripped through the air and struck down a hundred fallen on either side of the guardian formation. Tolcum fired one arrow after another as bolts of energy rocketed past his helmet, knowing that it would all be over soon.

"So, this is how it ends?" Parthix questioned, seeing no way out of their situation. He gunned down a group of fallen that attempted to enter the infirmary before being nailed in the shoulder by a wire rifle. He stumbled to the ground, and a titan's helmet erupted in light as an energy bolt slammed into her head.

Tolcum continued to fire. _It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon._ A dreg approached, and the hunter rammed his knife into the creature's skull. He then ripped the blade loose and tore open a vandal's stomach. He fired and fired, until his revolver ran dry. A shrapnel round nailed him in the leg, and he fell. His vision slowly faded, and the last thing he saw was a captain of House Kings standing over him. _It's over._


	14. Chapter 13: Battle of Twilight Gap

_So, this is what it's like to die?_ To Tolcum, it felt very similar to real life, though his body was almost as numb as when he entered Oryx's orb. That was when his hearing returned. The cries of eliksni being slaughtered forced him to open his eyelids. A powerful hand suddenly grabbed hold of his own, and yanked him off the ground.

"On your feet, Tolcum," Shaxx said. "We still have a battle to win."

"You came…" Tolcum mumbled, still not grasping the truth of the situation.

"Don't go soft on us just yet, guardian," Shaxx replied before stepping away from the hunter. Parthix was on his feet as well, along with the other titans that had not yet been killed.

Tolcum looked out to see an army of devils and kings united, staring angrily back at him. Their kells were with them, enraged by Shaxx's interruption. The hunter then turned back to his friends. Behind him stood a thousand frames, rifles in hand. Slightly ahead of them was Shaxx's most trusted frame, Arcite 99-40. Alongside the sea of metal was nearly five hundred guardians, all hungry to kill. Through their ranks stepped another who made Tolcum stumbled forward. His heart skipped a beat. "Iris…"

"Tolcum…" Iris exclaimed. She stepped towards the hunter, overjoyed to see him alive. Though he could be a pain in the rear, he was one of the few people she had the honor of calling her friend. To Iris's surprise, Tolcum stepped closer to her as well, and suddenly she was being constricted by a pair of arms.

Tolcum embraced the warlock in a tight hug. "I thought that monster killed you!"

"Cats have nine lives, Tolcum. I've got a million," Iris replied. The hug felt good, and just as she was getting comfortable, the hunter pulled away.

"If you two are done, we have some scores to settle," Shaxx remarked. He then turned his gaze to the army of fallen. For a brief moment, the fort was quiet. The only noise heard was the gentle banging of wind against the fort's walls as the two armies stared down one another. Lord Shaxx's fists were balled, and in half a second, he raised his right hand high into the sky. "Charge!"

The frames rushed forth like a flood, their rifles screaming for death. Tolcum stood motionless as he watched the army run past. Row by row, the robotic warriors entered the fray. Then came the storm of guardians, led by the mighty Lord Shaxx and Parthix. Other notable warriors like Holborn, Ana Bray, and Banshee-44 charged onward as well. Thousands of bullets swam through the air, and the fort of Twilight Gap soon erupted in chaos. The two army lines mixed and blended as soldiers on each side broke through. Still, Tolcum stood mesmerized by the situation. He would've remained there for the entire battle had a firm tug from Iris not urged him onward. That was when his mind clicked, and his vision narrowed. The left side of his body became engulfed by Darkness as he sprinted forward. Half a dozen shadow copies formed beside him, and charged as one with black swords in hand. The shadows cut a path for their master, who quickly vanished amongst the chaos, leaving Iris to her own section of the conflict.

Tolcum's weapons were put away; he would not need them where he was going. Instead, he strolled forward unfazed as vandals attempted to ignite his body with energy bolts. In the blink of an eye, the hunter vanished, only to reappear behind the group of vandals. Purple explosions erupted from behind Tolcum as the vandals became engulfed in violet flames. Just ahead was the Kell of Kings, who was presently busy tearing through waves of frames that dared to challenge him. Tolcum raised a violet bow to the kell and fired, deliberately missing. The Kell of Kings lifted his head to see the guardian. Though fellow eliksni rallied to his aid, he ordered them out of the way. This fight only concerned him and the hunter.

And there they stood, motionless as armies around them fought a vicious battle for a floating orb in the sky. Tolcum was thankful for his helmet as various emotions flooded his muscles. His fists were tightly clenched as he recalled the past few days. He watched as the kell revealed four large, scimitar-like shock blades. The creature pointed a blade to him, daring for his retaliation. Instead of leaping to his certain demise, the hunter simply cocked his head. The fingers of his hands were splayed out, ready to unveil his true power. In an instant, void energy began to emanate from the hunter's body, creating a pair of violet glowing, serrated swords. The energized weapons fell into his hands as a mucky substance swarmed his body. "Kell of House Kings!" Tolcum shouted as he spun his weapons around. "Today, I bloody myself with your entrails!"

The kell chuckled horrendously as he raised his blades. Then, he lunged forward. He swung with his swords, only for them to be blocked by four of Tolcum's shadow copies. The kell quickly twisted his blades and brought them back in the opposite direction, splitting the shadow copies in half as he went. That was when Tolcum leaped through the dissipating shadows. He swiped horizontally with his swords, tearing into the left side of the kell's helmet. The Kell of Kings staggered backwards, attempting to regain control of the situation. He whipped his swords back in anger, only for the hunter to retaliate with a swing of his own. The hunter shattered one of his shock blades in a single swipe. Still, the Kell of Kings continued to swing his blade vigorously, and quickly overwhelmed the guardian.

Tolcum stepped back as another volley of swords aimed to tear him in half. He raised his own swords for another strike, and leaped high into the air. He was met with the kell's blades, and forced back. He then struck again, this time splintering another of the kell's shock blades. The pair clashed again and again, but no harm befell either as they danced delicately around one another's curved edges. Eventually, they broke off from one another, and that was when Tolcum took a new approach. He unveiled his blackened bow; three arrows were embedded in the string. He pulled back and fired. The Kell of Kings successfully defended against the first two arrows, but the third snuck past his shock blades and impaled his right shin. The kell let out a howl of pain as he desperately tried to pluck the arrow from his body. Tolcum leaped to the monster once more, only to be stopped as members of House Kings stepped into his path. Thirty eliksni swarmed him with rifles and swords in hand. Bullets raced past the hunter, several even nailing him in his chest. However, the liquid-like Darkness and Light that engulfed his body kept him well protected. Finally, he called upon the void, and energy rallied to his right fist. He brought the arm violently down upon the ground, and instantly incinerated all the fallen that had encompassed his position. He then looked back to the kell, only for a strange phenomenon to occur. His chest felt heavy, similar to when he was within Oryx's orb. The Darkness he had once wielded as a weapon was turning on him. It felt as if thorns were piercing his soul. Though his Light retaliated, it was overwhelmed by the Darkness in his heart. The hunter crumbled to his knees. "No, not yet!" he cried out. That was when he heard a familiar hiss.

"The Darkness would consume you inevitably. That was the deal," Oryx growled from beyond the realm of reality. "Now, the deal must be met."

The shadows collapsed around Tolcum's body, his vision being made blurry. "No! Not yet!" the hunter shouted in anger as he attempted to reach for his revolver. His fingers fumbled around for a moment, but soon claimed the weapon. _Just get close, and finish the kell with a shot to the skull. That's all you have to do._ Tolcum crawled forward, holding off the Darkness for as long as he could. Slowly, he raised his revolver to the Kell of Kings, only to realize he was too late. The kell had plucked the arrow from his shin, and stood over Tolcum with a shrapnel launcher in hand.

"Sook dow ka," the kell growled as he aimed the weapon down at Tolcum.

All his memories flashed before his eyes as the weapon heated up. He remembered his former life, the fatal day on Mars, his rebirth, his arrival at the Tower, his newfound friends, the day he lost the love of his life, the moment he met Iris, the file he found within King's Watch, the Shrine of Oryx, the Battle of Vespir Hill, and seeing Iris one last time. _Iris, I'm sorry._ He watched as the kell fired, and felt scorching layers of fire tear through his body. In his dying moment, the Darkness was freed. It could not travel beyond with his soul, and so was released to the world. Millions of jagged shards of dark energy shot forth from the hunter's lifeless body, shattering the fallen lines and severely wounding the Kell of Kings. Thousands fell to the bone-piercing shards as they erupted.

Shaxx broke the skull of a fallen captain with a single headbutt and lifted his rifle to open fire. The Kell of Kings was fleeing on the back of his ahamkara, and Solkis made the decisive decision to retreat as well. Shaxx watched in the final hours of the evening as the fallen horde vanished over Vespir Hill. It had been a long, hard-fought battle, and countless laid dead. The walls of the Last City had been battered by walker fire, but they still held firm. At long last, the Battle of Twilight Gap was over, and they had won.

In the aftermath of the battle, all of Shaxx's frames had been destroyed, save Arcite. Many guardians had fallen victim to the conflict, such as the hunter, Ana Bray. Still, many more survived. Iris and Parthix seemed to lock onto Tolcum's position with equivalent timing, and slowly made their way to his body. A wave of Light shimmered over the guardian's body for a brief moment, void energy still held in his right hand. The energy remained for a moment longer before fading entirely. The hunter they had once known as Tolcum was gone.


	15. Chapter 14: Aftermath

"You disobeyed direct orders!" Saladin shouted in rage.

"I won the battle!" Shaxx replied just as viciously.

"Regardless of the result, you put our other fronts in jeopardy. Zavala's forces nearly fell because of your abandonment," the Iron Lord retorted.

"I did what was necessary, and as a result our city is safe," Shaxx stated with authority. "Maybe you should show a little gratitude. After all, I'm the one who had to clean up your mess!"

Ikora couldn't take the bickering titans, and forced them out of the Hall of Guardians. "That was a close battle," she admitted as she turned to Zavala. "Our lines almost broke on several occasions."

"But they didn't, and as a result we have effectively shattered the Fallen Alliance," Zavala stated.

"What if they come back?" Ikora asked.

"Their armies are broken. It'll be a while before they're ready to fight again. Could be months, could be years. Either way, by the time they're ready for another attack we'll be standing reinforced with fresh new guardians," Zavala replied confidently. It was then that Cayde-6 barged in.

"Man, I am beat," the hunter commented as he stumbled forward.

"How was it on your front, Cayde?" Ikora asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you should've seen me!" Cayde exclaimed, his hands waving around as he expressed his words. "I was magnificent, blasting away enemies with my marvelous golden gun. We had those bloody devils routed in no time," he recalled.

"I heard that you were knocked unconscious early on in the fight," Ikora remarked.

Cayde's eyes went big. "Well, okay technically that did happen. But, before that I was a stunning figure on the battlefield, and the only reason I was knocked unconscious was because a dozen devil walkers fired on my position at the same time."

"I thought it was because a fallen captain nailed you in the gut with his fist," Zavala chimed in.

"Whatever the case, I'm tired," Cayde stated as he fell back onto the central table within the hall. He happily stretched out across the table, fully intending on falling asleep then and there.

"Cayde, are you a commander of the Vanguard?" Zavala asked rhetorically.

"Uh, no," Cayde replied.

"Then get off my table!" Zavala demanded as he slammed his fist down next to the hunter's head. Cayde screeched in fear as he jolted up off the table. He then hastily took his leave of the pair.

"Can't say I'm too fond of that hunter," Ikora commented.

"Let us both be grateful he's not head of the Hunter Vanguard," Zavala replied with the slightest of smirks. He then stepped to the window within the hall, and gazed out at the dark night. The mountains looked elegant and wondrous, temporarily masking the horror that had recently occurred in the regions beyond just hours before.

"Do you truly believe we can hold off the forces of Darkness inevitably?" Ikora asked.

"We don't have a choice, Ikora. The moment we fail is the moment the last light of humanity goes out," the titan answered, his gaze still glued to the world beyond.

While the city was alight with late night parties of celebration, the towers along the wall were relatively quiet. Many guardians had died during the conflict, and many more were left to grieve over their fallen comrades.

Within the confines of Bannerfall, a young man sat up late in his workshop. The battle to overtake the city had left him paranoid, but the one thing that had always calmed his nerves was crafting. To most, he was known as Feizel Crux, and weaponsmithing was his trade. His hands shuffled across his table as he conjured up new ideas for projects. A sudden knock on his door caused his mind to pop back into place.

"Still up?" a man asked as he pushed the door open.

"Yeah, Victor. I just can't sleep. Not after what happened," Feizel explained.

"What's with all this junk?" Victor Lomar questioned as he looked around the workshop. Piles of scrapped metal plating littered the facility.

"This junk is what remains of many guardians," Feizel corrected with a hint of irritation. "Several guardians dropped the armor off an hour ago, and I've been mesmerized by the chunks of metal ever since."

"I see the wheels in your head turning, Crux. What are you thinking?" Victor asked.

"I'm thinking I've got a new idea of a rocket launcher," Feizel replied gleefully as he rose from his chair. "Guardians have said for a long time that destruction is beautiful," he commented as he strolled over to one of his numerous blueprints. The man had a knack for sketching weapon designs whenever he could. "Well, if there is beauty in destruction, why not also in its delivery?" he asked before unveiling his latest blueprint. Even on paper, the weapon looked stunning.

"It's a fascinating build, Feizel. What do you suppose we name it?" Victor asked.

Feizel simply smirked. "Gjallarhorn."

Parthix sat alongside a recovering Brakson-7 as the pair downed fresh bottles of Nighthawk. They had chosen a restaurant in the southern portion of the city due to it being a quieter region.

"Can't believe he's gone," Parthix said, still having a hard time grasping the idea.

"He died fighting for what he believed in, Parthix. If only we could all be so lucky. Besides, it was his death that gave us the added push we needed to triumph," Brakson explained.

"So, how's life without a ghost?" Parthix asked.

"Different," Brakson answered. "Life feels very different when you know you only have one opportunity at it. There's no do overs for me anymore."

"So, this is where you two were," a feminine voice remarked from behind the guardians.

Parthix whipped around in his seat to see the always pleasant Iris approaching. "If it isn't the lovely lass who sweettalked our Tolcum."

"I did no such thing!" Iris retorted.

"Bet you're wishing you did, though," Parthix commented. Without his helmet, the man's tanned skin was a feared sight to look upon. Scars covered his face and short, spiky brown hair shot up from his skull. His eyes were dark red.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't miss him," Iris replied as she removed her own helmet. Her naturally beautiful face made Parthix's eyes widen. "But the man was troubled, and perhaps a little deranged. He actually believed he could tame the Darkness."

"Well, he did," Brakson admitted. "It may have been temporary, but for a brief period of time, that hunter had accomplished the impossible: he wielded the might of the Darkness."

"What do we do now?" Iris asked, longing to change the conversation.

The male guardians looked to one another before returning their gaze to the warlock. "Well, how would you like to be an official member of the Knights of Earth?" Parthix finally asked.

"I would be honored," Iris eagerly replied with a smile.

"Even with the city safe, we've got a lot of work to do," Brakson admitted. "We need to fill our ranks with a fresh batch of guardians, and we there's some high value targets we still have to track down."

"What's more, I hear there's been increased hive activity on the moon," Parthix pointed out. "Some God-Prince named Crota is stirring up trouble, and the Consensus is making a move to send guardians over to establish a beachhead."

"We'll worry about such a monumental task soon; but for now, let us drink," Brakson said as he gestured for Iris to sit with them. The trio then treated themselves to a pleasant period of storytelling, which went on into the early morning.

As the sun peeked out from behind the horizon the following morning, it was clear that a once bleak twilight had been torn away to reveal hope; hope that one day the city could live without fear, and hope that one day guardians could truly end the Darkness, once and for all.


	16. Chapter 15: Rebirth

"The Darkness truly does have a mind of its own," Polaris stated to himself as he soared above the field of corpses. "But, nonetheless you did it, my noble guardian. You may have been a stubborn, ignorant man at times; but, I put up with you because I knew who you once were. The real you was compassionate, caring, and loving. Years of conflict had ripped such characteristics from you, but now you can reclaim them," the ghost continued to say. "This may not have been the ending you wanted, but in its conclusion the Darkness could not follow where your soul went. In the end, the Darkness you had accumulated backfired and tore apart the fallen ranks. You're a hero," Polaris said, his voice shaky with mixing emotions of joy and sadness. "That debt you owed Oryx has been paid in full, guardian. You're free." The ghost had finally reached the corpse of Tolcum. The body was beginning to smell.

Overhead hundreds of starships flocked to the recovering city in celebration. The sun was steadily rising over the horizon. How many heroic figures had died for this victory? Why did the power of the Traveler make the fallen so desperate in the first place?

"There is still so much to do, my guardian," Polaris stated as he gazed down upon the dead hunter. "Have you already forgotten your debt to Ala Zan?" he asked with a slight laugh. His eye suddenly widened. "I think you've slept long enough, Tolcum. Eyes up guardian."

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(File Name: Author's Note)

So, there you have it. The end has finally come to this tale. Honestly, it ended up being much longer than I had anticipated. I figured the story would only be a few chapters long, but once I started writing I realized there was so much more to tell. Before I continue, I feel I must apologize for several mistakes I made while writing this. First off, and believe it or not, correct capitalization was a major problem for me as I began to write this. In hindsight, terms like "fallen" and "hive" should've been capitalized because they are faction names, not species. I kept them all lowercase even after realizing my mistake because I felt it was more important to stay consistent rather than have them lowercase in the first few chapters, then suddenly uppercase for the rest of the story. Another error I made was in the transitions from one group of characters to another. In my original documents, there are dashes that indicate when transitions occur, but I failed to realize that such symbols don't transfer over to the website. Lastly, as with all stories, there were typos that slipped through my proof-reading process. Perhaps in the future I can correct these mistakes and upload a single, complete file containing the entirety of the story. However, for now, this is where you can find Tolcum's tale.

With the problems of the story out of the way, I'd like to now discuss my reflection of Bleak Twilight. In the end, I am proud of the work that went into a new telling of Twilight Gap, as it is one of my favorite stories within the Destiny Lore. In writing this, I wanted to be as accurate as I could when it came to the final battle for the fort, though I'm sure there may be a detail or two that I missed. In the journey that led Tolcum and his comrades to making the stand at Twilight Gap, I had numerous other fantasized ideas for what could occur within the story. One key concept that stuck out in my brain was of friendly foes. In the game, all Fallen and Cabal save Variks are considered hostile, but why? Yes, the Darkness led these creatures to our world, but why did we have to fight? The Fallen long to take back the Traveler, and the Cabal are genocidal warmongers, but surely not all within their ranks share the same ideals. That was when the ideas of Ala Zan and House Dawn popped up. Initially Krovix and his house were coated in white armor, but after coming up with a name, the color black seemed to fit more appropriately. I felt that these characters added a bit more spice to the story rather than the traditional concept of having a guardian fireteam face off against hordes of other species. The last idea I wanted to turn into a reality with this story was the appearance of an ahamkara. I imagined Solkis riding elegantly down to his House of Devils upon such a mighty creature but… I forgot to do that. So, I simply gave the beast to the Kell of Kings, and felt it worked out relatively well.

For those of you that have trudged through this story to the end, I thank you. Be brave fellow guardians on the road ahead.

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